Enigma
by Scream to the Stars
Summary: She was an enigma, and he was intrigued. She seemed so loved, so cared for, but there was a certain look behind her eyes that made him identify with her. And so he found himself drawn to the enigma, hoping for her love though she didn't seem so giving with it as she'd first appeared to be.
1. Chapter 1

"Do you think it would be of interest to send your student on an ANBU mission?" he raised a perfect brow, watching the woman across from him. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned her chin on her hand. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders as her honey colored eyes fixed him with a skeptical stare.

"Are you questioning my decision?"

"I cannot go against your word, Hokage, I am merely asking," he had a calm, unnerving stare, but she wasn't affected. She didn't really care. "I have heard only little of her and what I do know is because of my brother."

"Then you should be happy. Your brother thinks highly of her," she said flatly.

"That could only be because he has been in a team with her since they were twelve," his tone matched hers. "I believe both of you are quite biased in the opinion. You're her teacher and he has been her teammate for years."

"She passed the ANBU medic exam, which is harder than the normal exam. Get over it, Uchiha, you're going to have to deal with it," the woman sighed. This man could be so difficult and annoying, but she had to deal with him. He was the best captain they had! "She trains with her team every day on the training grounds, why don't you go and watch?" Tsunade waved her hand tiredly. "You're good at being stealthy." His eyes narrowed. Why would she say that?

"Fine. If I do not like what she has to offer, this will be brought up again." He was out the window in another moment and Tsunade sighed. Uchiha men, for fuck's sake; they couldn't just accept things. They had to question everything and give her the worst headaches. She hoped her student wouldn't take him by surprise, though. He might end up very hurt. With a smirk to herself, she went back to her paperwork. Shizune had taken her sake till she finished.

Sakura dodged an attack from Naruto and threw a hard right hook at Sasuke. His eyes widened a fraction and he almost, almost got out of the way before her fist connected with his shoulder. It had been lighter than he expected and he didn't fly as far as he thought he would. She was holding back as she always was.

"Damnit, Sakura!" Naruto was coming back for another attack. "How do you move so fast?!" he tried to aim a kick at her stomach, but she stopped it with a mere flick of her wrist. She was so much more challenging to fight nowadays and she didn't even seem to be trying her hardest! Not that he or Sasuke were, but they made it seem like they were.

"Because I'm faster than you, idiot," she laughed. She ducked under another punch and elbowed Sasuke in the gut. He coughed and turned an annoyed eye to her. How did she do that? Sakura was gone from between them in a moment.

"Shit she's going to break something," Sasuke sighed. "Do you know how long it took us to clean up the last time you destroyed the training ground?" he shouted. Sakura didn't answer, though, and there was an irritated look in his eye. He really didn't want to have to clean up for another day and a half. "Well, we may as well run," he told Naruto. Naruto nodded and looked about to run to safety when there was a heavy thump. They turned their bewildered eyes to the noise.

"Why the hell are you watching us?" Sakura was asking, voice hard as she held the person underneath her, a kunai to his neck. Sasuke immediately recognized him and ran to Sakura. She had done something really, really bad. There was a hand twisted to his back and Sasuke had no doubt the bones were crushed. She was kneeling on his other arm, of which he was doubtful was in one piece as well.

"Sakura, that's Itachi," Sasuke sighed as he finally got to them.

"That doesn't explain why he was watching us," she glowered. Sasuke immediately backed up. She was terrifying when she was angry and he didn't want to meet the business end of her fists when she was pissed off. Naruto was watching from a safe distance.

"You might want to answer her, brother, before she breaks something else," Sasuke said, tone bored at this point. He was certain Sakura would break another of his bones, she was known for that. He also knew she would heal him the second he explained himself.

"I'm not explaining my reasons to you," came the indifferent tone.

"Why is it so hard for Uchiha men to answer a simple question?" Sakura asked, though it was completely rhetorical and aimed at no one in particular. "Why don't you just answer before I throw you through a wall?" she was so pissed off, both of her teammates could see it. Even Sasuke would have answered at this point.

"I don't need to," his tone was still indifferent. Sakura leaned her knee into his back, effectively cutting off his air supply. Sure, she would never kill him. She could just seriously maim him and piss him off just like he was pissing her off.

"Itachi," Naruto yelled, "just answer her, please. If you piss her off, I'll be in the hospital too. I'm an idiot." Sakura turned threatening eyes to him and he held up his hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly and backing away. Sasuke could see that Itachi was giving up. The stress Sakura was putting on his body was starting to get to him. He knew he wasn't about to win this.

"Tsunade told me to watch you." Sakura was off of him in the next moment, smiling cheerily and sitting crosslegged on the ground. The hell? How did her emotions go from dangerous and murderous to happy and innocent in the next moment? He narrowed his eyes at her as he slowly sat up, pain apparent in his chest and his shattered hand and broken arm.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it? Now stay still," she smiled and moved closer to him, her healing chakra already passing over his wounds. She was healing him? Why? He'd been impressed with her speed and the fact that she had noticed him masking his chakra in a tree. She had caught him unaware and taken him down. That didn't happen very happen.

"Why are you healing me?" he asked, watching her with an unreadable stare. Sakura shrugged. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting next to each other, looking rather relieved.

"You're Sasuke's brother and you gave me what I wanted. Anyways, I could always break your hand again if you'd rather go to the hospital," she raised a skeptical brow to him. He didn't answer, just let her heal him. This was the first time he'd ever even talked to her, really. He'd seen her around the Uchiha compound from time to time and even in the streets, but hadn't really tried to talk to her. "I heal them after I hurt them anyways, wouldn't be fair if I didn't for you," she indicated Sasuke and Naruto with a jerk of her head. "Why did Tsunade send you to watch us?"

"You are scheduled on my next mission as my medic and I wanted to see your skills for myself." Ah, so he wanted to make sure she wasn't a liability for him. He couldn't afford liabilities. Sakura only shrugged and laid his hand down, going to his chest now.

"I may have uncontrollable emotions, I'm not a heartless killer," she said, giving him an honest look into who she was. "I may let my emotions get the better of me sometimes, but I'll always have my teammates' backs." She was telling him that sometimes she wouldn't listen to him, but he wouldn't have to save her. It was a helpful look into the way her mind worked.

"Thank you for your words," he said quietly, watching her heal him. She was certainly good at what she did. She hadn't even faltered in hurting him like she had. She had numbed the pain, probably because she knew he was a part of the village, but had still hurt him without hesitation. Her anger was something his brother cowered at, and he didn't know his brother to cower at anything, much like himself.

Sakura finished with his chest rather quickly and went to his arm. "I didn't do anything I couldn't fix easily," she said, shrugging. "If I hadn't known who you were, I assure you, it would have been much worse." Itachi was slightly surprised at her dark words. She, apparently, really didn't like being threatened.

"Your attention to what is around you is quite admirable," he commented. "I was surprised when you attacked me." Sakura faltered for a moment.

"Is that a compliment, Uchiha?" she asked, amusement in her voice.

"I suppose it is. I am not nervous to have you on my team." Sakura didn't falter this time, but she did shrug.

"I've been on ANBU missions before, you know," she said, passing her hand over his arm once she was done, making sure it was finished. "I just haven't crossed paths with you. I passed the exam well over a year ago." Why had he not heard of this? He was quite confused. How had he not been on a mission with her yet?

"Ah. I expect you at the checkpoint at noon tomorrow, then. You know what to do." Sakura nodded a slight smile on her face. She would be briefed at the checkpoint. Not many were privy to the workings of ANBU and their briefings were often held in secret, at the checkpoint a few miles outside the village.

"Anything else I should know?" she asked, patting his arm and standing up, offering him her hand. He took it, although barely needing it, and she pulled him up easily. How strong was this girl? She was more than a foot shorter than him and he had to guess he had at least a hundred pounds on her. How did she do that?

"It'll be a month long, so pack accordingly. Mostly on the border." These details were all he could allow and she nodded in understanding.

"Well, other than that, would you like to get lunch with us?" she asked. She didn't really want to invite him, he'd throw their balance off, but it was the polite thing to do. She was surprised, though, when he nodded.

"You owe me for breaking several bones." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're a douche," she muttered. His amusement grew. It certainly was easy to get her riled up, but she did owe him, just a little. He followed her to where the other two sat, talking about a new brand of kunai or something. "Come on, idiots, let's get lunch."

"Sakura, won't you cook for us?" Naruto asked, hopping up. Sakura was definitely annoyed, he could tell, but he didn't care. "Come on, it's been a month!" Sakura sighed. She only made them lunch once a month because they asked for her to cook way too much.

"You have to split the bill with Sasuke for what you want," she shrugged.

"Fine," Sasuke said, looking to his brother. Was he coming with them? He must be. Itachi was like a shadow most of the time and didn't stay in the same place for too long. He thought it was a little long for his brother to hang around, but he must have his own reasons. Sakura began walking off towards the exit of the training grounds.

"Are you joining us, brother?" he asked as they walked.

"I feel as though I am owed something for the broken bones she caused," Itachi said, staring straight ahead. Sasuke wanted to laugh. His brother was just hungry. He didn't care in the slightest that Sakura hurt him; he just didn't feel like trying to find something he wanted to eat.

"So what do you assholes want?" Sakura asked as they walked up to the market. There were quite a few stalls outside, but if they wanted something to do with meat, as they often would, they'd have to go inside the butcher's.

"Not ramen, idiot," Sasuke said immediately, smacking him upside the head. Naruto glared. "How about your chicken, Sak?" he asked. She hadn't made her chicken in a while and he was obsessed with it. He didn't know what she put into it, but he loved it.

"The chicken would be a fine substitute to ramen," Naruto said, bouncing around. Sakura caught him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to their little group.

"Embarrass me, Naruto, and I will personally see to your dick being chopped off," Sakura said darkly, releasing him. Naruto flushed and looked at the ground. No way was he going to say anything else. Itachi couldn't help but watch the three. He had never seen Sasuke so comfortable around anyone else, not even his family. He seemed at ease with the other two and there was a much calmer look in his eyes than usual.

Sakura only began walking to several of the stalls, the boys in tow, and she didn't keep her word. She bought all of the ingredients she needed. She did make Sasuke and Naruto carry the bags, though.

"Why don't you make Itachi carry some?" Naruto whined. Itachi was just trailing behind them, an unfathomable look on his face, hands in his pockets. He looked at ease, though couldn't quite tell. He could still help, though.

"Itachi's my guest, moron," Sakura shrugged as they walked into the butcher's shop. You asked me to cook; therefore you have to carry the bags. If Itachi wanted to carry something, he'd say it." She already knew that much about Itachi. If he thought help was needed, he would offer it. Naruto only sighed.

Sakura paid for the chicken and led them out of the store and to her apartment. It wasn't in the worst part of town, that was for sure, and it was very close to the hospital. She was often called in early in the morning and she wanted to be there as quickly as possible. Itachi had never needed to know where her apartment was, but was surprised. Shisui, his cousin, had an apartment in this very building. Speaking of his cousin, he was just walking up too.

"Hey there, little cousins!" he waved. "What's with all the bags?"

"Lunch at Sakura's!" Naruto was the one to answer and Sakura just rolled her eyes. She knew Shisui, but didn't spend too much time talking to him. She sighed, knowing she should invite him to lunch, too. It was only right. She had his cousins with her.

"Want to join?" she asked as they walked up. Itachi was surprised. The way she held herself around him, she didn't know him very well. She was inviting him anyways. It was confusing to say the least. After all, though, she had invited him and she barely knew anything about him, either.

"Lunch with my two little cousins?" Shisui seemed to think for a moment, but his kin knew he was just pausing for dramatic effect. "Of course I would love to join in on that," he smiled down at the small woman that held the door open. Sakura only shook her head. Shisui was putting on the charm, as Sasuke had several times to get something he wanted from her.

"I'm going to kill all of you by the end of this," she muttered, leading them up the stairs. She unlocked the door and let all the men file past her, though Itachi didn't. He gestured towards the opening and waited unitl she walked in first. Was he polite because it'd been rammed into him as a kid, or was he just being a gentleman because he wanted to? Sakura couldn't help but wonder. Sasuke and Naruto were taking the things out of the bags and placing them on the counter, just as she'd taught them.

"Naruto, can you take Tori for a walk?" Sakura asked. Naruto loved her golden retriever. "Oh, and would you mind watching her while I'm away?" she just remembered. Naruto was already reaching for the leash as the dog woke up in her crate. Sakura only put her in there while she was out because she had a bad habit of eating pillows.

"How long will you be gone?" Naruto asked, opening the crate to let her out. Tori jumped on him and he laughed, petting her.

"A month or so. Just take care of her will you? No ramen this time or I won't heal the broken hand this time," Sakura warned, taking out a cutting board. Itachi watched her interactions with interest again. She knew her teammates were scared of her strength and ease of breaking bones. She used it to her advantage, even though it made her come off as violent.

"I'll probably get a mission before you come back, so should I give her to Ino?"

"Yeah, just make sure you bring the crate to her. She, unlike you, actually has furniture she cares about," Sakura shot at him, already cutting up vegetables. Sakura certainly moved fast in the kitchen and Itachi didn't really know what to do with himself. He just stood by the door, arms crossed and leaning against the wall. He wasn't much for social interaction.

"Here, Itachi," Sakura said amid the clamor on the other side of the room where the rest of her guests were arguing about something or other. She handed him a glass of juice and pulled him to sit at the breakfast bar. She certainly was forceful, but perhaps she thought he was uncomfortable? He only sipped the juice she'd given him, surprised when he did. It was certainly interesting, but he didn't mind.

He watched her cook. She was very quick and obviously knew what she was doing. When she shut the chicken in the oven, she was cutting up lettuce and vegetables for a salad, or so he presumed. He usually watched his mother cook at home and so this was comfortable for him. She tossed everything for the salad in a big bowl and then collapsed in a chair next to him, her own glass of juice in her hands. She didn't try to join the others on her sofa and chairs, but he didn't know why she sat beside him, either. He wasn't exactly the best at social interaction like this.

She didn't say anything, though. She was silent as she drank her juice and turned slightly to watch the others. They were still arguing about something, but she didn't care to listen. She liked having them around, but she just wanted to sleep before her mission tomorrow. She had been called into the hospital this morning and hadn't gone to sleep yet. She hadn't been expecting to cook, either. She slid into a light doze when the oven beeped. She was struck out of her stupor and she made to get up, but Itachi was already up. She watched, speechless and mouth open as he pulled it out of the oven and put it on the stovetop to cool. He sat back down beside her without another word.

"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly, a pout in her voice. She didn't like people doing things for her and he could see it. He only set his blank black eyes on her.

"You are tired. I am a guest and therefore should offer a hand when needed," he said. She didn't look at him, instead finding the countertop much more interesting. He spoke down to her and she didn't like it. Though there wasn't a condescending tone in his voice, she still couldn't help but feel that way. She couldn't find anything to retaliate with.

"Hey, Sakura, is lunch ready?" Naruto asked from his seat on the sofa.

"It's just cooling down, Naruto," she sighed. She really was tired. She could keep going and going if she wasn't at home, but the second she got there her tiredness caught up with her. Sasuke sent Naruto a warning look not to annoy her any further and Naruto caught it, looking down. Sakura was tired, they could both hear It in her voice, and she was really easy to anger when she was tired.

Sasuke got up and Naruto followed him. They pulled out plates from Sakura's cupboard and began serving everyone. Sasuke put any and all dishes in the sink to soak. He'd take care of them later while Naruto put the small woman to bed. She was often hard to get into bed and if one of them didn't force her, she wouldn't go to bed for hours. She always seemed to have something to do.

"Here, Sakura," Sasuke said, placing a plate in front of her. She lifted her head and looked at it blankly before he handed her a fork as well. She made a soft whine in the back of her throat before beginning to eat. This must be normal, Itachi thought. Sasuke seemed to know exactly what to do. He and Naruto sat back on the sofa, handing a plate to Itachi and Shisui.

She was an excellent cook; he had to give her that. Even though she looked tired as anything and had probably just wanted to go back to sleep, she had managed to throw something together that was simply fantastic. She was looking a little sluggish while she ate and when she finished, she pushed her plate away from her and rested her head on her arms.

Itachi picked her plate up with his own and put them into the almost full sink. He wasn't about to wash the dishes, they didn't seem ready to be washed yet. He didn't know if he could go, yet, but didn't really want to leave without Sasuke. He had to ask him a couple things about the small woman and thought he would give him a straight answer.

"Ah, well, that was great, but I've got a mission to sleep for, so I'll be off," he winked at Itachi. "See you assholes later," he was out the door a minute later, Sasuke and Naruto just nodding along. They still hadn't finished their food. Itachi just sat beside the tired Sakura, waiting. Naruto finished his plate first and went to put it in the sink, Sasuke soon behind.

"Bring her to bed, Naruto," Sasuke said simply. "I'll get the dishes today." Naruto only nodded.

"Come on, Sak, you're tired," Naruto was actually quiet for once as he pushed an arm under her legs and wrapped his other around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and whined softly as he lifted her. He only laughed and shook his head. She was trying to tell him no, that she had too much to do, but she was so tired it just came out as an annoyed whine. He carried her down the hallway to her room and tucked her into bed.

"Alright, Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow morning," Naruto yawned. He got Tori's leash from the hook and put it on the dog. "I'm off to clean my place. Hinata's supposed to be coming over tonight." Ah, yes, the only time Naruto would clean his apartment. Sasuke only waved him off while he was doing the dishes.

"Sorry, brother, she was tired. She's usually a great hostess," Sasuke said, hoping his brother didn't hold her tiredness over her. "She was called into an emergency at the hospital early in the morning. When she got out, it was time to spar with Naruto and I. She wouldn't cancel and just go to bed."

"It's quite alright," Itachi said. "She seems to know what she's doing." He wasn't against having her on his team now, but he was still a little held back from the idea. He had never had such a small woman on his team.

"Whatever you do, don't tell her to hide out of harm's way. She'll take it as you thinking her weak and she'll go against your orders anyways. She's a little spitfire and would rather be defending her teammates and backing them up."

"I have never fought with her, I don't know what to expect," Itachi sighed.

"When she yells to look out, she's going to hit the ground," Sasuke immediately went into it, wanting his brother to be prepared. "She does it to give her team the upper hand when a surprise is needed. She'll dart between you and your enemy and dispatch him while he's distracted with you. She'll watch your back and will sacrifice herself for you. She can take it. I've seen her come back from a punch clear through her stomach. She's tough."

"I don't doubt it," Itachi responded indifferently. "She found me in that tree without either of you noticing. She is not slow to harm others she sees as a threat. She numbed the pain I felt from her, though. I could have thrown her off. Does she do that a lot?" Itachi saw it as a weakness. Sasuke finished washing the last dish and gestured to the door.

"She only does that for people she knows," Sasuke shrugged as they walked out the door. "She was threatened by you, but recognized who you were. She wouldn't have stopped you if you did throw her off, but she wouldn't have healed you. I suppose you could call it her initial test. She tests you to see if you'll stay down or threaten her more. You chose correctly."

"To get this straight, she would have harmed me more if I were to throw her off me?" Itachi was intrigued. He had never known such a fiery enigma and her entire personality was interesting. How did someone like her function?

"She would have broken a few more bones and then refused to heal you unless I begged," Sasuke snorted. "That's just how she is. If she's mad at you, it's better to stay down. Even you wouldn't get away unscathed, brother." Itachi only nodded. Sakura seemed to be a good ally to have on his side, even if she seemed a little odd.

"You should have seen her when I got injured a few missions ago," Sasuke said, a tone of humor in his voice. Itachi remembered that. Sasuke had been supposed to be home a week after the mission began, but he was in the hospital for half a week after he returned. There had been internal bleeding and Sakura had done all she could, but he still had to recuperate a couple days.

"What happened?" he asked. Sasuke had never told him, but he had never asked before.

"We were ambushed. Sakura had been on edge all day and Naruto was riling her up, which was probably why her guard was down. We fought with them pretty equally for a while until the ninja I was fighting slashed my stomach and did something to my heart. Sakura and Naruto flipped, but Sakura was more in control than the idiot. She charged the guy that attacked me and killed him in a minute while Naruto was dealing with the rest. She started healing me right there while fending off other attacks."

"She seems adept at knowing her priorities," Itachi commented. Dispatch Sasuke's attacker and then heal him as quickly as she could. He was surprised though, how did someone that small kill someone else in a minute? He just couldn't quite believe it. Sasuke only shook his head at the look in Itachi's eyes.

"Sakura might be a tiny little thing, but she knows exactly what she's doing, brother. She took you down quite quickly, you know. She'll fight for what she believes in and she'll fight against you. Just let her do what she does best and you'll all get along."

"How should I allow her to do what she does if it against my order?" Itachi raised a brow at his younger brother. Sasuke only shrugged.

"The only time she's going to is if you're in danger or there's someone that needs to be healed. She'll always go to someone in need if she deems them innocent. She's got a good judge of character, so don't worry. She'll piss you off, a lot, but she's a good person, all in all." Itachi only nodded. Sasuke didn't think very much of anyone, so his highly esteemed words of the small woman meant something. She seemed to keep her teammates in line, at least.

"Why will she try to protect me?" Itachi asked, thinking it was a silly thing to do. He didn't need to be protected; neither did the Hyuuga or Shisui, the ones that were assigned to the mission as well. He was wondering how she could have such a feeling of protectiveness over her teammates when they weren't Sasuke or Naruto.

"Sakura thinks everyone needs to be protected," Sasuke shrugged. They were entering the family compound now and their conversation would soon end. "Sakura knows that there's at least one person out there that cares for each of her teammates and she doesn't want those unknown people to cry. She cares a lot." From the look in Sasuke's eyes, it was something he loved about her. "She puts herself in obvious danger to protect those around her, even people she doesn't know. That's just how she is," Sasuke shrugged. "You never have to worry about her, though, she'll be fine."

"I do not know her well enough to worry over her," was all the older Uchiha said. They were at the main house now, where Sasuke still lived with their parents. Itachi had taken one of the smaller abodes near the private training grounds. This was where they parted ways.

"I know that, brother. She'll be a little brash, that's just how she always is, but she won't outright challenge you. She will sass the everliving fuck out of you if you aren't careful, though." Sasuke wanted to laugh, thinking about the small woman sassing his intimidating brother. He couldn't even imagine Itachi's reaction to being spoken back to in that way. He didn't really care to try, the thought was funny enough.

"Thank you for your insights," was all his older brother said. "I'll see you after we return," he waved in goodbye. Sasuke only shook his head at Itachi's back. He hoped they wouldn't return with Sakura at his throat. They were both pretty hard to get along with.

Itachi was thinking over all Sasuke had said. This woman was certainly different. How could she put her life in danger for someone she barely knew just because she didn't want their family to cry? How could she let her emotions get the best of her to the point she disobeyed a captain's orders? He didn't know. She had told him that her emotions governed her sometimes. From what Sasuke had told him, she had been telling the truth.

He was sure this mission would be interesting. He would no doubt clash with her. All that mattered was that she would have his back and heal the members of her team if it was needed. That was all he needed to know and Sasuke had assured him of that.

* * *

The next day, all the members of the team were sitting in the small shack at the checkout point. They didn't have to put on their masks until they reached the border, and so talked freely for a few moments.

"Alright," Itachi said, garnering the attention of the other three. "We are going to take out a band of s-class rogue nins on the edge of our borders. We should try to ambush them, but they are incredibly skilled." He passed out three files and waited for the others to read them. They were all pretty quick readers.

"So that's why I'm here," Sakura said lightly, passing a look over the last file. There was a skilled medic with the rogue nins and he was quite good at severing arteries. Sakura could stop her teammates from bleeding out, of course, but it definitely took a skilled medic.

"Are you up for it, little one?" Shisui teased.

"I can shatter your wrist if you think I can't," she idly said. "I might heal it if you're nice to me." Shisui turned red and turned quickly back to the file he was reading. Itachi couldn't help the small amused smile on his face. No one noticed, thank god.

"It'll take us a week to get to the border and then we'll need to track them. Hopefully, they are not on the run and we can surprise them during the night," Itachi finished. His teammates nodded. They all stood and shouldered their packs, Sakura hoping she didn't forget anything. She hated long missions and hoped there would be a town or two so she didn't end up hunting rabbits for meals.

They set out on a grueling pace, but most of them were used to it. Sakura was lagging and she knew she would need a little help keeping up with the three males. She sent a small, steady stream of chakra to the soles of her feet so she could push off the trees harder and keep up. She kept her eyes and ears open, especially since she was at the back. She didn't want to be surprised.

They ran until the sun had left the sky and it was quite dark before stopping where they were. They leaned up against different limbs of the same tree.

"First shift?" Itachi asked. Sakura raised her hand. She liked taking the first four hours of watch. She didn't like being woken up when it was still dark. Itachi only nodded to her and the others were already pulling things out of their pack. There wasn't much talk as they ate their rations. Sakura had been on several ANBU missions and this was usually how it was. Quiet as hell. She didn't mind. She usually had to deal with Naruto and Sasuke's endless bickering.

Itachi was still awake a few hours later and was sitting next to her, for some reason. She didn't really mind it, just kept her eyes moving through the dark trees.

"Why don't you sleep?" he asked, staring in just about the same direction she was. Sakura only shrugged. She wasn't usually tired on missions. She would push herself until she was in her apartment and could fall on the bed, sleeping for days at a time. "Sleep, Sakura. You need your strength." Itachi hadn't been planning on spending the entire watch with her, but couldn't find sleep. He wanted company. He had sat next to her in an attempt to fill that void and he hadn't minded they didn't talk.

"Fine, fine, stop annoying me, Uchiha," she said. She arranged her pack behind her and pulled out a blanket to curl under. Sleeping against a tree wasn't comfortable, but she didn't care. It was better than making a camp and allowing others to track them. Itachi watched while she got comfortable and closed her eyes. He could move now. He should. He had no reason to take up the limited space on the tree limb next to her, but he didn't want to move. She still intrigued him.

He didn't sleep all night, but that didn't bother him. He had too many thoughts and some of them turned into nightmares. He wasn't alert when he slept and therefore chose to forgo it more often than not. He didn't move from Sakura's side either, though the other two were on different tree limbs. She was important to Sasuke. He didn't want anything to happen to her and make Sasuke sad.

A few days later, they were sitting in a seedy motel in a small village. They had gotten a lead that the rogue nin had passed by there, but there hadn't been a sign of them by the time they arrived. Itachi had only sighed and directed them to the cheapest motel they could find.

"What are you doing?" Shisui asked Sakura right before they were going to go back into town. Sakura was shrugging off her uniform and pulling on civilian clothes. There was a slight blush on the other two's faces, Neji even looked away, but Itachi nor Sakura seemed to care that she was openly in her bindings.

"Do you expect the manager to give us a room if my 'husband' and I are dressed in ANBU gear?" she asked, shrugging. She had had to do this before, being the only woman on most of her ANBU teams. After the first time, she began using civilian clothes.

"Yeah, but how are you going to fight in a skirt like that?" Shisui asked as she put it on. Shisui had just changed the top half of his uniform to a regular t-shirt. It was stupidly easy for men, Sakura decided.

"I don't feel any danger, but if I have to end up fighting in the half an hour it takes to get in that room, I'll be fine," she huffed, stuffing her uniform back into her pack. "I don't know if you've ever fought in a skirt and heels, but it really isn't that hard. I've been training to do it since I was a little girl," she shrugged. "You have to be ready for everything, right?" she fixed him with a skeptical stare.

"I suppose you're right," Shisui said with a laugh. "Alright, ready?" Sakura only nodded, handing her pack off to Itachi. He was the only one she really trusted with her things. Itachi and Neji jumped into the trees surrounding the small village. They would come through the window of the room when Shisui and she got it.

"Here," she reached into a hidden pouch on her upper thigh and handed him something. It was a silver ring, incredibly fake and a little too big for his slender finger. He put it on anyways, seeing Sakura pull one out that fit her better. "I carry these around just in case," she said, shrugging at his curious glance.

It wasn't hard to get the room. The manager only smiled at their joined hands and handed them a key. Sakura was a good actor, Shisui thought. She had even reached over to kiss his cheek in front of the manager, making the man think they were actually newlyweds. Shisui took the key from him and led her to the room.

Itachi and Neji were in the room a few moments later. Sakura was stretching her arms over her head and took the bag from Itachi when he held it out to her. "I'm taking a goddamn shower," she said, heading for the bathroom. The three men let her go and merely sat around the small room, quiet again. She was out of the bathroom not even ten minutes later, dressed in her uniform again and pulling her damp hair back into a ponytail. She pulled out a pouch from her pack and pulled her utility belt from her waist, tossing them both on the table.

They watched her for a long minute before Shisui spoke up.

"What are you doing, Sakura?" he asked, not taking his eyes off her as he crossed to the table and leaned on it to watch.

"Prioritizing my medical supplies. One of our enemies goes for major arteries, and I have to make sure I have what I need so you idiots don't bleed out before I can heal you," she said shortly. Neji said nothing, only got up for his turn at the shower. "This is adrenaline," she held up a few syringes. "It'll keep your heart from stopping when you go into shock from loss of blood. It'll keep you conscious. She tucked it into one of the more easily accessible pockets on her utility belt. "Tourniquets to try and stop the bleeding," she held up a few elastic strips of fabric. "And coagulants," She held up more syringes that were blue in color instead of clear. "It'll stem the bloodflow so I can stitch the artery back together before you die."

"What's the worst artery this guy could cut?" Shisui asked, interested. Itachi, on a bed with a book, leaned his ear towards the conversation. He was interested as well. He would like to know where he really shouldn't get cut in fear for his life.

"The carotid artery on your neck is the worst," Sakura said conversationally, though she spoke in a clipped tone they recognized as her 'hospital voice.' "If you get cut there I only have seven minutes to save your life. So please, either fall near me or just don't let him near that area," she smiled cheerily. Shisui only shook his head. She was a funny one, huh?

"Are there other arteries?" he asked. He had thought there was only one in the neck that could kill you. Sakura grabbed his wrist, forgetting about her other medical supplies for a moment.

"There's one here," she indicated his wrist, "but that takes ten to twenty minutes to completely bleed you out, depending on how deep the cut. And there's one on either side here," she indicated the places on his chest, "of course, here," she indicated his heart. "There is a couple here," she pointed somewhere in his stomach, "but those are a little harder to get to. Here," she indicated somewhere very close to his groin and he couldn't help the light flush, "but short of cutting your dick off, it'll be fine."

"Oh, what a relief," he joked lightly. She only rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smile on her face. She moved to continue.

"There are a few in your legs. Here," she indicated the place on his upper thighs, "Here," she patted the back of his knees and somewhere a little lower on his leg, "And here," she stroked a finger along the back of his heel.

"Where do you think he'll be most likely to strike?" Shisui was asking good questions, the type Itachi would have asked. He was still listening and watching out of the corner of his eye. This was important to know.

"Well, obviously the neck because that's the easiest," she said, pressing a finger to the middle of her chin. "The wrist is harder to get to because you'll be moving it a lot, so I wouldn't expect him to try for that unless he managed to get you in a hold. I wouldn't expect him to go for the stomach, and he's far too sadistic to go for the heart. If he kills by going for major arteries, he wants you to suffer."

"Interesting," Shisui commented. Sakura was a smart little woman, huh?

"He'll probably go for your neck, your leg, or your heel. They're the easiest to try and hit. Obviously, the heart is as well, but I already explained that. If he hits you in the neck you have thirty seconds to alert me or get to me. If he gets you in the leg, you have a couple minutes, same with the heel. If he hits you in the heart, though unlikely, you have thirty seconds, again, and if he manages to get you in the wrist, you have about three minutes," she instructed.

"Good to know," Shisui said with a smile. Sakura only nodded in response.

"Why are you doing that so early, anyways, Sakura?" Neji had finally come out of the bathroom, a towel in his hair. He had been on several missions with Sakura and she had never prepared this early, mostly when they got close.

"Because we're dealing with s-class rogue nins," Sakura chided lightly. "If I were dealing with something else, it wouldn't matter as much. If I were going up against a chuunin, I wouldn't be nearly as worried as going up against an ANBU," she shrugged.

"Ah," he said, flopping on the other bed in the room. He had had yet to be on an ANBU mission with her, so he guessed that was it.

"Wait," Shisui said, standing straight. "Am I the only one that's been on an ANBU mission with little Sak here?" he asked, something shining in his eyes. Triumph. Apparently he thought that he had something to hold over the other two in the room.

"You've been on an ANBU mission with Sakura?" Itachi asked, raising a brow. He had never heard of this.

"Sure, that's why I requested her for this one," he laughed. "Whenever I've had a two man mission in the past year, it's been with Sakura. She usually gets solo ones though. She always prepares herself pretty early like this and puts up with my endless questions about it. I've learned a lot from her," he smiled down at her. Their professional relationship didn't leak into personal life, though. They didn't spend much time in the village together.

"You get a lot of solo missions?" Neji sounded pretty impressed. Sakura shrugged.

"It's mostly to get information. I'm a great actor. I'm usually gathering intel for your missions," she said. "It works quite well with my medic knowledge and how to scare the people I'm sent after. I usually wear a wig with my mask though," she absentmindedly touched her hair. She would be in a lot of bingo books if she didn't cover the pink locks. She had never found anyone with hair like hers.

"That's usually a smart idea," Shisui laughed. "I like your wig. It's a nice chestnut color." Sakura nodded. "She usually wears it to fights, just in case there's a survivor," he shrugged. Itachi was impressed with how smart Sakura really was. She covered her tracks well. Sakura only shrugged again.

"We usually make sure there isn't a survivor," she grinned up at him. She finished packing all her medical supplies in her utility belt and then went to her pack, breaking out the civilian clothes and the much discussed wig. It was short, like her actual hair. "I'm going to buy food. I can't do these rations anymore.

"I'll join you," Neji was up in the next moment, changing his clothes as well. Sakura tucked money into her bra bindings. She didn't have a purse and this was just easy. They left through the window, not wanting the manager to see her with someone other than who she said was her husband.

"You have been on many missions with Sakura?" Itachi asked his cousin.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. She's a damn good ally, you know. She's pretty terrifying when she starts fighting." Shisui didn't know where this was going.

"Do you battle with her a lot?" Itachi asked. He couldn't help it. The little spitfire was just so interesting and he had never sparred with her. He didn't know much about her, at all.

"We've argued with each other, a lot," Shisui laughed. "She's pretty opinionated. I'm surprised she hasn't started fighting with you yet."

"Sasuke warned me to just let her do what she wants and she'll never fail me," Itachi said indifferently, staring at the wall beside Shisui instead of right at him.

"I wish I had that warning," Shisui laughed. "It would have saved me a few broken bones." Oh, so she beat the shit out of Shisui too? "It doesn't matter. I couldn't be angry with her over with it when she had my back when we were attacked. She's amazingly skilled and she takes down quite a few of them pretty quickly. She isn't weak like the others tried to warn me about."

"I was told she passed the medic ANBU test," Itachi said, seemingly bored. He had been slightly impressed with that when Tsunade had told him, so he wasn't surprised she was skilled.

"I thought she only passed because of Tsunade," Shisui shrugged. "It was the cause for a lot of our arguments."

"Tsunade had me watch her spar with Naruto and Sasuke. She noticed me and attacked. She crushed my hand, broke my arm, and did something to my lungs. I had no doubt of her abilities after that," he said. "I had only been worried because, of what Sasuke had said of her for years, she had always been lacking in skill. She proved me wrong as hell."

"Damn, Ita, I never heard you talk like that." Itachi didn't respond, only waved him off. He would only talk this comfortably around his cousin. "Just wait until you see her fight seriously," Shisui winked, "You'll be so attracted to her, you won't know what to do with yourself."


	2. Chapter 2

Shisui had been right. Itachi was distracted by her movements while she fought with them. She was darting between opponents, something unseen in her hands causing deep wounds in whoever had the bad luck of coming across her. She was looking for the medic. She had to be the one to take him out because she was the fastest with the most medical knowledge.

Itachi returned his attention to the two opponents he had, knowing Sakura was fine. She was managing, very well. Shisui had a couple and so did Neji. Sakura was the only one facing off against three, but she was doing well.

"Look out!" they all heard her cry and prepared themselves for what she was about to do. She wasn't doing well against the three, as they all knew this was one of her last resort moves. They felt the ground break below them and got the upper hand on a couple of their opponents, Sakura finally able to dispatch two of the three that were annoying her.

"Shisui," she called, dashing to him. Itachi turned an eye to her and saw his cousin on the ground, curled into a ball. Sakura was standing over him, a fierce look in her eye as his last opponent and hers began rushing her.

"Get him out of here!" Neji yelled, fending off an attack. Itachi wasn't much better. His eyes swirled, but the other two must have known of him. They wouldn't look him in the eye. It certainly was frustrating.

"I don't know how you expect me to do that!" she yelled, pushing back an attack from one of the men. The other was dashing around her and she knew who it was. That damned medic. She ignored the other one and went after him, catching his ankle. He wasn't as fast as she was. She slashed his throat and whirled around to do the same to the other one that had followed him.

Itachi and Neji were doing fine against their last enemies, so she ran to Shisui. True to her word, the medic hadn't gone after his heart or any of the more annoying arteries. He had gone after Shisui's leg. She pulled out a syringe and stuck him with it before pulling him over her shoulder and dashing off. The adrenaline would keep him conscious for a few more minutes.

"Alright," she let him down on a tree limb and assessed the damage. The medic had only gotten him in the leg, a few other deep wounds aside. She tied her tourniquet above the injury and set her hands to work, pouring healing chakra into the wound. The good things about this was there wasn't too many tears to heal, just the one. It just took a lot of chakra to stitch veins back together. It wasn't the same as just closing up a wound.

She knew Itachi and Neji had arrived, watching her. She hoped they wouldn't say anything about not leaving sooner, but she didn't care.

"Ah, little Sak, this is only too familiar, huh?" Shisui asked, completely at ease. He rested his hand on her head, staring up at the canopy of leaves above him. Sakura smiled despite herself, keeping her focus on finishing that last little opening in the artery.

"I guess," she laughed. "Though it wasn't nearly as frustrating as this," she shook her head. "You have to stop getting yourself hurt, you know." There, she had repaired the artery and blood was flowing easily through it instead of out of it. She began healing the tissue around it, closing up the wound. Shisui's hand had not left her head and she didn't mind it.

"It's the only way to get your hands on me," Shisui joked. Sakura shook her head.

"There are other ways, shithead." Itachi couldn't believe they were flirting right now! Shisui had been gravely injured and they nearly hadn't made it out before Sakura had hit the ground. There had been more shinobi than any of them had thought there would be.

"Can we call this a successful first date then?" Shisui laughed.

"We had one of those a few months back if you don't remember," Sakura said, finishing up closing the wound. She moved onto others, finishing them rather quickly. They weren't nearly as bad as his leg. "When your liver got ripped out."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Shisui laughed. Itachi was confused. How did they speak so easily of such terrible injuries? Shisui swung his leg over the tree limb and stretched it. "Ah, always better without a life threatening gash in it. I think that adrenaline's wearing off too."

"I'm quite sure," Sakura was packing up her medical supplies. "Here, antibiotics just in case." Shisui sighed and pulled up the sleeve of his uniform, allowing her to stick him with the needle. "Alright, we're good to go," she said, raising herself. Itachi nodded and began leading them through the trees. They just needed to get far enough to make camp.

Sakura was falling behind though. Shisui fell back first and Itachi followed. Shisui grabbed Sakura's wrist.

"What's up, Sak?" He asked. She had been keeping up with them this entire mission, what had changed now? He checked her over. Wait, was her ankle supposed to be that swollen? "Sit." Sakura glared at him defiantly. "Sit, Sak." He guided her down and ran his fingers over her ankle. She flinched, but didn't let out a cry. "Sprained or twisted?"

"Sprained," her voice was a mere strangled whisper. She had given herself a numbing shot, but she was low on chakra and couldn't keep up with them, let alone heal it. She'd had to keep a steady stream of chakra going to her feet so she could push off the tree limbs strongly enough.

"Alright, up you go." Shisui lifted her easily into his arms. They couldn't stop here and he knew she didn't have enough chakra to heal herself. She often didn't when he got himself injured after a fight. She would make him let her heal him first, always. He would insist of taking care of her after anyways, so it worked out.

Itachi only nodded to Shisui and started off again. Shisui kept up easily with the other two while holding her close to his chest. Sakura pressed the side of her head to his chest, tired as all hell. "You can sleep, Sak, you're safe with me." She only nodded. She was so tired after that stupid fight and having to heal him. She closed her eyes and fell slack in his arms. Shisui only smiled. She gave her all for her teammates and she had told him stitching veins was hard work.

"We can stop here," Itachi said after a long while. The sun was beginning to leave the sky. Shisui stopped on a tree limb and sat, Sakura still in his arms. He never knew how to keep her comfortable and just sat with her when he carried her. "Does this happen often?" he asked.

"Nah. I've only carried her a handful of times. She's got great chakra control, but when I get myself hurt, it takes a lot out of her. That liver one really took it out of her. She was passed out next to me when I woke up. I guess that's why Tsunade matches us up all the time," he laughed. "I won't die and I'll take care of her."

"How do you keep getting yourself injured?" Itachi asked, a brow raised. He hadn't thought Shisui got injured very often.

"We are sent on a lot of two man missions, cousin. You are usually handling a team that isn't easily overpowered. We were ambushed a lot or knowingly went into something we won by a sliver of luck. You know that's how it works," Shisui rolled his eyes at his cousin. Itachi only nodded. He hadn't thought of that. He had been injured on pretty much every solo or two man mission too. The difference between them, though, was that Itachi had basic healing knowledge. He could patch himself up pretty well. He didn't bother with minor injuries, but with the way Sakura was, she probably healed everything between the two.

"Will she wake soon?" they had to get moving soon, they couldn't stay here for too long.

"She's pretty low on chakra, cousin. Did you see her weapon at all?" Shisui asked. Itachi shook his head. "She shoots chakra out of her hands and sharpens it, attacking with it. She can do a lot of damage that way." Itachi assumed she fought that way because she had had three opponents and needed to be able to take them on even ground. The little woman was vicious, Jesus.

"Here," he bent and pulled the woman into his arms instead. "Let's go." He bounded off again, the other two quick to follow him. Shisui was doing easier now that he had the extra weight off, but he was still surprised his cousin had even tried to help. Usually he would be angry that she had used all her chakra.

They kept going until they reached a small village. It would still take them about a week to get back, but they could mask their identities and hide here for a quick rest. Shisui changed into civilian clothes and got them a room. Sakura still hadn't woken when Itachi placed her into a bed. Shisui rifled through his pack for a moment before heading for the door.

"Where are you going cousin?" Itachi shot at him.

"Food. I'm not in the mood for rations after that. Sakura needs something better than that shit anyways," Shisui shrugged. "Just you watch, I'll have her awake in an hour," he winked.

"How do you deal with him?" Neji asked after the man had finally left.

"No clue," Itachi said indifferently, pulling out a book. They had recovered the scrolls they needed from the medic and the campsite nearby while Sakura had been healing Shisui. Now they just had to rest up and return home.

"She didn't listen to me," Neji said, getting out his own book. "I'm surprised you didn't yell at her."

"She doesn't listen to most people, or so I hear," Itachi said, his eyes on the written words. "I just let her do what she needs. She won't let any of us die," especially Shisui, apparently. He hadn't known the two shared such a bond. Did his cousin really want to take her out for a date, he wondered.

"Sakura marches to the beat of her own drum, or so they say," Neji said dismissively. "I have gotten into quite a few spats with her myself when I would have missions with her. I, too, have found the best idea is to just let her do what she does." Itachi only nodded in agreement. He was glad for Sasuke's advice at this point.

Shisui came back not much later, a few bags of takeout in his hands. He threw a container to Itachi and Neji, and then sat on the edge of the bed where Sakura slept.

"Hey, Sak," he shook her gently. "I have your favorite," he said, shaking her a little more. Her eyes slowly opened and she blinked blearily at him. She wrapped an arm around his neck and he pulled her up into a sitting position, putting her takeout container in her lap and handing her a fork. "See? Told you, cousin."

"I had no doubt you'd wake her with how annoying you are," Itachi said flatly. Sakura snorted and coughed, hitting herself in the chest. Shisui sent him a glare.

"Shut up, Itachi," he said, pouting, sitting beside her. Everyone ate pretty quietly, Sakura enjoying warm food. Her chakra levels were up from before. After she ate she could heal her ankle. She reached forward to pull her pant leg up.

"Shit," she muttered. It had swollen more and turned a decidedly black color. "Sasuke's going to kill me for this," she groaned.

"How is he going to find out?" Shisui asked, pushing her food closer to her.

"You think I can get away with not telling him? I'll be limping for two weeks, at least," she sighed. "I can heal it, no problem, but I'll have to take it easy for a couple weeks. God, he's going to murder me!" She fell back on the pillows, staring at the ceiling for a moment before returning to her food.

"Why will my little brother murder you?" Itachi asked, halfway through his own meal. He was interested. He didn't think Sasuke could get that angry with Sakura. He seemed to care about her, but didn't seem capable of being angry.

"Sasuke gets a little too protective," Shisui answered for her. "He sees something wrong with her and he goes a bit crazy."

"He went after Shisui once because he thought he didn't do well enough protecting me," she laughed. Shisui laughed too, brushing a hand through her hair. He frowned. She still wore her wig. He pulled it off and let her pink hair fall. He ran his hair through it again. Itachi watched them in interest. On the mission, they seemed to get along like siblings. His cousin obviously worried and cared for her. She would get angry with his teasing and sass him back. It was interesting and amusing to watch.

"You beat the shit out of him for that, though." Apparently she watched out for him too. "Did you heal him after that great ass whooping?" he laughed.

"Nope. He had to ask Tsunade to help him after what I did to his arm. She laughed at him and felt so bad for him she healed it. He learned after that, though. He didn't try anything like that again.

"Who knew Sasuke was so protective?" Shisui laughed.

"You would have had Naruto after you too, if he found out," Sakura laughed. She set her empty takeout container off to the side and brushed her fingers along her ankle, cringing. She passed a green glow over it and grimaced. "Fuck."

"Hm?"

"Broken, not sprained," she cursed again.

"The hell did you break it, anyways?" Shisui asked, leaning next to her. Itachi watched out of the corner of his eye as Shisui easily reached up and brushed his hand soothingly down her back. He seemed to know her so well and he had never thought that when she'd made them all lunch that day.

"Well, it broke when I was fighting three guys instead of two, like the rest of you," she said, smacking him. His hand didn't move from her back, though. He wasn't upset by her in the least. "I went to attack one and the other caught me and snapped it. I thought it was only sprained, but that's what adrenaline's for," she shrugged. No fucking wonder it had hurt so badly.

"Well, you aren't dead, so that's good," Shisui laughed. Neji was watching the exchange too. He had never seen two partners get along so well. They seemed to balance each other well. Sakura was healing herself now, Shisui rubbing her back soothingly.

"Alright, there's not much else I can do at the moment. I need more chakra for that. You two," she barked. Itachi and Neji instantly looked at her. "Come here, shirts off." They hesitated.

"Better do it," Shisui grinned. "She'll get up herself and rip your shirts off to make sure you're not bleeding." Itachi sighed and pulled himself up, knowing he should just give into her. He pulled off his shirt and knelt before her. Sakura checked him over carefully and healed what wounds he had. He was impressed. She did it so quickly and only used the exact amount of chakra she needed to.

"Come on, Neji," she said as Itachi stood, putting his shirt back on. She had probably not found anything that needed to be healed below the waist and he was quite happy. Neji begrudgingly did the same as Itachi and knelt before Sakura. He had a few more scrapes and scratches Itachi did, but she healed them quickly. Neji was thankful when he could stand back up and shove his shirt back over his head.

"Rest, Sak. You need to be able to heal your ankle the rest of the way before we can go. I'm not carrying you all the way back to Konoha again," Shisui said, flopping down on the bed. He was tired too. Sakura sighed and flopped next to him. His arm was caught under her, but he didn't try to move it. Sometimes Sakura would cry during the night after a fight. She didn't like killing people and it bothered her for a little before she could push it away.

Itachi and Neji finally turned away from the scene. They would take the watch tonight. Usually it was Sakura and Itachi, but Sakura needed her rest.

"Shh, Sak," they heard Shisui's soft whispers and a tiny whimper come from the other bed. Itachi and Neji were out of the door in a moment.

"Why is she crying?" Itachi asked the younger man, bewildered.

"It's Sakura," was all he could muster as an explanation. "You'd have to ask her or the other two," he was referring to Sasuke and Naruto.

"Do you think she's cut out for this?" Itachi asked, staring at the sky. Through her movements and the way she wouldn't give up pointed to that she was. However, the fact that she was crying now did not.

"Sakura has always been emotional," Neji said evenly. "A little girl died in her arms once and she cried for days. Perhaps that is what is happening here? The medic in her does not like killing people, I believe. She spends most of her time saving them."

"Ah. Perhaps that is why she is with Shisui all the time. They are good partners." They seemed to ebb and flow together, molding around the way their moods changed. They had sparred together one morning and neither could land a hit because they knew their fighting moves too well. They had moved so quickly, so gracefully.

"I don't think Tsunade's had a better team. She does like putting you and Shisui on the same team though."

"Two Uchihas are better than one," Itachi said, staring out into the dark night. "I am surprised I haven't seen them around the village together if they get along this well on missions." Shisui treated her like one of his family.

"He rented an apartment in her building in case she needed him," Neji said. What? Itachi hadn't thought much of it when Shisui moved out of the compound, hadn't thought much of it when he saw Shisui tease and accept Sakura's invitation to lunch so easily. He hadn't thought anything was going on other than a casual invite. "I don't know if anything's going on between them. I don't think she even knows why he moved to her building. He seems to care for her like Sasuke does." Ah, so Neji wasn't blind to how Sasuke acted either.

"She has a lot of friends," was all he could say. She seemed to make people gravitate people towards her and they wanted to make sure she was okay and cared for. He didn't know how someone became that well liked. She was surrounded by people who liked her and wanted the best for her. They went after someone when they thought they hadn't done something well enough for her. How did someone find friends like that?

"She's always been weak," Neji was guessing his thoughts. "She needed protecting. She's innocent, which is probably why she's crying over killing several people. They are very protective because they think she needs it in her moments of vulnerability."

"She does not hesitate to kill, that's all that matters," Itachi said evenly. Neji had to agree. Though she had inner turmoil and would cry about it later, berate herself for taking a life, she would never hesitate to kill who she had to. He had learned and witnessed that fact, again and again. Sakura was certainly interesting.

Shisui had finally managed to calm her down and she was comfortable in his embrace. The first time he had found her crying he had held her with little qualms.

"Why do you cry like every time little Sak?" he asked, staring at the wall over her head. He would have thought she would have stopped crying about this at some point. He had been on over a dozen missions with her now and she still cried right after a fight where she had to kill someone. It was worse if it was more than one person.

"I don't know," she sighed, finally pulling away from him to stare at the ceiling. "When I'm at home, I'm always busy trying to save lives. I guess it just goes against everything I believe in. I just don't think when it's happening though. If someone's threatening me, they have to die or be captured for the village. That's what I've been telling myself for years and making myself push down the hesitation."

"Well it seems to have worked," he commented lightly. "You protect me pretty well," he laughed. "I simply hope my little cousin doesn't request you to be taken out of ANBU. I like you too much as my partner." Sakura shook her head.

"I told him I let my emotions govern my life sometimes. I believe if I kill without hesitation, he doesn't care. As long as I protect my teammates and do not show my vulnerability to the enemy, he doesn't care in the least."

"You're right," Shisui laughed. "Damn, first me and now my cousin. How do you understand Uchiha men so well?"

"I've known Sasuke pretty much my entire life," she said easily. "That's probably why." Shisui only nodded. Of course that was the reason. She had spent so much time around Sasuke, she definitely knew how they all thought. It didn't really change from person to person in his family. He looked over at her and realized her eyes were closing.

"Go to sleep, Sak. Our mission's done and we're going home after you heal your ankle." Sakura nodded, already on the way to sleep. Shisui carefully pulled his arm out from underneath her and went to the door, finding the other two on the other side. "Sorry about that, guys," he smiled, standing to the side so they could come in.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Yeah," he passed a hand through his hair. "Sorry. She does that every night after a fight." Itachi narrowed his eyes. "Don't get like that, cousin."

"She shouldn't be in ANBU."

"If you take her away, there's no one to replace her and she knows it. She doesn't think you'll say anything," Shisui flopped into a chair while his cousin sat nicely on the bed. "She doesn't show her weakness to her enemies and she kills without another thought."

"She's right," he said after a long minute. "I suppose I won't. She had warned me and Sasuke had as well too. I cannot hold something against her that I had knowledge of." He couldn't. She had been up front with him from the beginning, and so he couldn't say anything.

"Good," Shisui's eyes flashed and Itachi knew if his answer hadn't been so agreeable, he would have gotten a fight. Seriously, how did she make people react like this? He couldn't help but wonder every time he interacted with those around her. He just shoved his thoughts out of his head. One more week and he would be back in Konoha and wouldn't have to see her for a while.

* * *

Their return to the village was quick, Sakura pushing herself much harder than Itachi thought she would have. She was determined not to slow them down and he was impressed by her tenacity. She was still hurting with her ankle, but she wouldn't let them slow down for her.

By the time they reached Konoha on the final day, Shisui was supporting her though. She had pushed herself too hard and Shisui hadn't needed to speak to her to know she needed some help. They really knew each other well after all their missions. He supported her on her bad side.

"I'll deliver the report," Itachi said in lieu of a goodbye. They all nodded, though Sakura sported a grimace, and he made a mental note to check on her later.

"Alright come home, time to relax," Shisui said to Sakura cheerfully.

"Carry me," she whined, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. He laughed. She was so childish sometimes and it always made him laugh. He didn't say no to her, though. He pushed his arm underneath her legs and lifted her easily, running towards their building. Sakura held to him tightly until he left her down inside her apartment. "Thanks," she said, letting him go gingerly.

"Of course," he grinned. "I'm going to be in my apartment until Sunday if you need me." He always said this after he saw her off, but she never called for him. It was almost like they didn't know each other outside the missions they accomplished.

"Um, Shisui," she said just as he turned around.

"What up?" he asked. He turned back to her, smiling.

"Thanks, you know, for everything," she gave him a shaky smile. Shisui couldn't help but give her a hug. She returned it immediately.

"We should get lunch sometime, you know?" he said, pulling away from her. "I don't like just seeing you on missions, you know. We should hang out when our lives aren't threatened," he laughed and even got a smile out of her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She pulled away from him too and he rested a hand on her head for a moment. Sakura felt like a little kid for a moment before he pulled away.

"Well, I'm off. I need to sleep for a few days," he sighed. Sakura only waved him off with a smile. He walked away from her door, hearing it shut quietly behind her.

"I know you're here," Sakura called as she turned around. She wasn't about to try and walk, they would definitely know something was up with her ankle if she moved.

"I just wanted to welcome you home," Sasuke said, turning on the light. "Naruto made me promise," he looked about to pout. He didn't like that Naruto made him promise shit like this when Sakura was probably tired as hell and didn't want to deal with him.

"Ah, of course," she sighed. She couldn't hide it from him any longer. She took a step and knew her limp was heavy. His eyes narrowed and he crossed the room quickly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and hoisting her up. He brought her to her room and sat her on the bed.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her ankle. He didn't dare try and touch it; she would just push his hands away. He knew she could see the darkness in his eyes and that he was about to beat someone down for her injury.

"It's fine, I was just beating the crap out of three guys and they got me in the leg," she shrugged. "Then I murdered the ground and I finished them off. Don't worry, Shisui was there to carry me to safety," she mock swooned. She laughed. Sasuke's eyes were still dark and she rolled her own.

"Seriously, Uchiha, you'd think this was the end of the world," she sighed. "I'm fine. I can still beat you into the ground. Seriously, this is how this happens every time I get an injury, no matter how bad it is. Can't you turn off the overprotective brother shit, Sasuke, just for a second?" she was really losing her breath on this argument. They had it almost every time she came home.

"I just get worried," he muttered. "I don't think it's being an overprotective brother. I think it's being a good friend." He was pouting! Well, not outwardly. He was just pouting.

"I know, just calm down. You know that I can take care of myself," she sighed. There was a knock on the door and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the door.

"What's my brother doing here?"

"The hell do I know? I need to soothe my ankle, get it for me," she snapped, giving him a sharp look. He rolled his eyes and went to answer the door while Sakura was sending soothing chakra to her pulled muscles.

"Little brother," Itachi's voice was calm, but he was mildly surprised to see Sasuke on the other side of the door. Sasuke only shrugged. "Is Sakura here?" he had brought her a small gift because he didn't feel right dropping by unannounced just because he wanted to check on her. It seemed his little brother had had the same idea.

"Of course she is," Sasuke snapped, stepping to the side to allow his brother entrance. Itachi raised a brow at his brother's tone. Why was he so pissed off? "Come on," he muttered, leading him down the hallway. Sasuke made it to the doorway before he turned abruptly. "Don't go in.

"Why?" Itachi asked, bored. He walked past his brother and rolled his eyes at his childishness. Sakura was in her bindings, changing.

"Hey, Weasel," she said, throwing on a shirt. He wondered why she called him that. It bothered him slightly, but not enough to tell her to stop. It was almost pleasant, in a way.

"I wanted to make sure you're alright," he said evenly. "I wanted to make sure it was not permanently damaged by the way I pushed you." Sakura laughed. He was confused. He had pushed her. Why was she laughing at him? She pulled on soft pajama pants and sat on her rather large bed.

"You didn't push me, Weasel," she said, amusement clear in her voice. "I pushed myself. Shisui had tried slowing his pace when I had become injured one time. He learned very quickly that, whether he told me or not, I would always push myself." Itachi was getting a good look into her psyche. He did not understand her, not at all, but he liked what he saw.

"Here," he held out the bag of sweets he'd gotten for her. He hadn't known if she was upset or not, but knew something sweet would get her mind off things.

"Wow, from the bakery?" she asked, voice filled with happiness. "Did you get me a get-well present, Weasel?" she asked, great amusement in her voice.

"I suppose I did," he said.

"Come here," she picked herself up off the bed and reached for him. Hesitation screamed in his movements as he moved to her and allowed her to wrap her arms around his neck and press her body against his. This was the first hug he'd received and he was slow to wrap his arms around her waist to return the embrace. It was certainly nice, he thought. He had never felt the feeling of a girl against him and it was certainly interesting.

She released him all too soon. "Come on, you get to share this with me after dinner," she smiled. She gestured to Sasuke to follow her to the kitchen and went through her fridge, finding it pleasantly fully stocked. Her boys were just too good to her. She pulled out pasta and ground beef to make meatballs.

"Sakura," Sasuke started, but she hushed him with a glare.

"Don't you start telling me I should be taking it easy," she said sharply. "You know I can heal anything I do to myself." That certainly shut Sasuke up and Itachi watched her with a certain look in his eye. She recognized it just as he looked away. He was impressed! How had she managed to impress the great Uchiha? She would never know. "Go wake up Shisui," she told Sasuke. "He'll be upset if he misses dinner here." He would. He would be annoyed if he learned Itachi had gotten to eat here, she'd never hear the end of it if he managed to find her. Sasuke just left.

"Why did you tell him to get Shisui?" Itachi asked as he sat at her breakfast bar, watching her work. She was making something else along with the pasta. He had no doubt it would be good.

"If Shisui were to find out you and Sasuke got a home cooked meal from me and he didn't, I would never hear the end of it once he cornered me!" she laughed as she preheated the oven. She was making quick work, as she always did, Itachi realized. How did she manage to be so good at everything she did?

"Ah. He treats you like he treats his family," Itachi commented lightly. "It is certainly odd to see."

"Well, over the past year, we've spent many weeks and months alone with each other. It's not odd that we finally started getting along," she said. Itachi raised a brow at her and she laughed. "We used to get into fights because I would never leave him and I would always heal him before I healed myself. He started to accept the way I am after a while, though."

"I know there are times he is difficult," he commented lightly. The door opened to a sour Sasuke and a groggy Shisui.

"I know I said I wanted to spend time with you, little Sak, but I didn't mean two hours after I said it," he yawned into his hand. He reached for her amid his annoyance anyways and gave her a tight hug. Sasuke watched with a tinge of jealousy in his eye.

"You would have beaten the shit out of me if I left you out of dinner," she shrugged. Shisui grinned mischievously.

"Guess you're right. I'm going to crash on your bed. Let me know when it's ready," Shisui shuffled off to fall into her bed. He seemed so comfortable here, Itachi thought. Sasuke did too. He collapsed onto the couch and shut his eyes, leaning his head on the arm.

"Sorry, Shisui crashes here after a mission a lot," Sakura laughed. "Funny, seeing how his place is up the stairs. He just likes my bed more."

"Don't tell me you sleep with him," Sasuke called from the couch.

"Shut up with your overprotective brother shit, Sasuke," she shot at him. Itachi watched the exchange with mild humor. He hadn't thought Sasuke could be shut up so easily, but he was being proven wrong, a lot. "I've slept with him in the same bed, yes, but I haven't screwed him if that's what you're implying, not that I would want to. He treats me like his sister for fuck's sake; he's just a lot less annoying about it than you are."

"As long as you aren't screwing him."

"Excuse me, Itachi, I have to go screw your cousin," she said sharply, moving quickly to her room and slamming the door. Itachi raised a brow to his brother.

"She's not actually going to," he sighed. "She's just pissed off at me. She usually has a lot more patience with it, but she's tired."

"You pushed her," Itachi said indifferently. Sasuke shrugged.

"I'll apologize to her when she comes out," he went to the kitchen and resumed what she'd been doing. "If I piss her off, it means I get to do her work," he shrugged. "It's the only way to get her to relax." Itachi understood in that moment. Sakura wouldn't sit down if she was cooking or something. She had to be pushed out of the kitchen.

"Anyone want to tell me why a pissed off little Sakura just woke me up by sitting angrily on the bed?" Shisui poked his head out of the door.

"Sasuke pissed her off," Itachi answered blankly. His answer was the door closing. "She's certainly interesting."

"She won't let anyone do anything for her," Sasuke said, though there was a slight tone of amusement under his bored tone. "It's easier to piss her off until she stalks off rather than convince her to let you do it," he shrugged.

"Seems like a violent way to deal with your best friend," Itachi said lightly.

"Not really, if you know her," he said simply.

"Ah," Itachi just watched his brother continue the dinner Sakura had started. He seemed to know what he was doing and the recipe that she used. He finished rather quickly. He prepared the plates and handed one off to Itachi before leaving the rest and walking to Sakura's door to knock.

"What?" he heard her sharp question.

"Dinner."

Sakura appeared a few minutes later. "I hate it when you do that."

He smirked at her. "Oh, I know." She only rolled her eyes and went to sit down beside Itachi, pulling her plate towards her. She dug into her food, thinking it was just as good as if she had finished it. Sasuke was nearly just as good a cook as she was.

The meal was eaten in silence and Shisui assisted Sasuke with the dishes. Sakura pulled out a few small plates and pulled out what Itachi had brought her from the bakery. Though it was extremely sweet, she wasn't too big a fan of sweets and all that. She would much rather preferred a cup of tea or a candle that she would like.

She divided it equally among the four of them and sat back next to Itachi to eat her portion. Sasuke and Shisui took theirs as well and stood beside them. Itachi didn't seem to be a fan of sweets, either, but he ate his pretty quickly. Sakura finished just after him and collected their plates to wash them. Itachi followed her and waved her off. He would wash these for her.

"You boys take too good care of me," she laughed as she backed off. She wasn't going to try and go against Itachi. Perhaps she would go against Shisui and she would definitely go against Sasuke, but Itachi was definitely a bit more intimidating. She would much rather just let him do it. She sat at the breakfast bar, Shisui beside her now. She leaned her head on his shoulder and yawned.

"Have you even gotten a nap, Sakura?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head. He wanted to laugh and just let her fall asleep on his shoulder. Itachi turned around, intending to say he was about to leave when he noticed Sakura was no longer in the waking world.

"Just go, Itachi, I'll make sure our tired little Sakura into bed," Shisui smiled. Itachi had yet to even touch her, except for carrying her to the small village the week earlier, and he didn't think the man was about to do what he thought. Itachi, eyes unmoving and blank, lifted Sakura gently from her chair. He cradled her slightly awkwardly, but didn't care. He carried her carefully to her room as Sasuke and Shisui speechlessly watched.

"The fuck?" Sasuke hissed.

"I don't know, little cousin," he shrugged. "I'm going to sleep," he said tiredly, leaving quickly. Sasuke wanted to wait for Itachi to come out of the room, but half of him didn't want to. He decided to run in the end. He had too many questions that would burst forth if he didn't just leave.

"Shisui?" she mumbled against his chest, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder. He was surprised that she had that reaction when she felt someone holding her. "It is Shisui, right?" her voice was becoming clearer and her green eyes slowly opened. "You're definitely not Shisui," she laughed when his dark eyes met hers.

"You fell asleep," was all he could think to say. It wasn't very eloquent.

"I know I did," she laughed again, but didn't make a move to get out of his arms. She pressed her head into his neck instead. What? _What?_ The fuck was going on? Itachi's mind buzzed as he watched her snuggle into his chest, comfortable. "I thought it would be Shisui holding me, that's all." She'd gotten used to Shisui holding her after he'd carried her home so many times. It was a mission tradition now, as he put it. Itachi's lean body felt much the same to his.

"Would you like me to let you go?" he asked, not really knowing what he should do.

"Aren't you tired?" she asked softly. She was falling asleep again, in his arms. Her cheek was pressed to his shoulder and she honestly looked like a little girl. She looked so very innocent and was completely hiding her vicious tendencies.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Then lie down," she said softly. He couldn't help the soft pink blush that swept delicately across his cheeks. He had never been asked to lay down with a girl. He had never even held a girl like this. He was confused over what to do. "Come on Weasel," there was a twinge of annoyance in her voice, "just lay down. You picked me up, now you have to deal with it." Did she do this to whoever picked her up? He guessed so. Shisui had lain with her in that bed all night when she'd cried.

Itachi carefully maneuvered himself onto the bed and she arranged herself easily, even though she was half asleep already. She planted her head on his arm and tossed a hand over his waist. He did the same. He watched her sleeping for a long while, wondering how this spitfire of a woman could seem so innocent while she slept. She looked happy in her sleep.

He meant to get up, he really did. He meant to disentangle himself from her and go home. He had been lying there for too long, he guessed. He felt his eyes grow heavy and couldn't fight the intense exhaustion that swept over him. He fell asleep, a girl in his arms for the first time.

* * *

She woke facing the window and stretched her arms above her head. It was early morning and she felt so much better after a good night of sleep. It took her a moment to realize there were very masculine arms around her waist and a very masculine body molded around hers. The arms tightened, the man behind her subconsciously keeping her pressed to his body.

Did Shisui decide to cuddle with her last night? Not that she minded. Her boys liked to cuddle her from time to time. Well, not Naruto so much anymore since he found Hinata, but Sasuke would sleep next to her occasionally if he passed out before he could go home and Shisui would stay with her if she cried about shit that happened during a mission. She tried to wrestle her way out of the hold she was in, but she heard a low growl and the arms tightened, almost crushing her to the very hard body behind her.

Wait. That didn't sound like Shisui. She turned, enough to see who was behind her.

Itachi? Ah, fuck, that's right. He carried her to bed. She was too comfortable to go into a cold bed. She had made him lie down with her and he had obviously fallen asleep. Now he wasn't letting her leave the bed, his possessive hold like chains around her. Damnit. She didn't mean to let _that_ happen. She didn't really feel anything for the man behind her, but she couldn't help the warmth growing in her chest. He looked so sweet when he was sleeping.

"Hey, Weasel," she said softly, reaching to touch his face. His nose wrinkled, but he didn't wake. He tugged her closer, as if that was possible. He was really asleep. She sighed. She wasn't getting out of this any time soon and he really did seem like he was comfortable. Perhaps it was better to sleep a little late today. She sent soothing chakra to her temples, forcing herself to feel sleepy, and fell into another slumber beside the man.

He had heard the soft words, but didn't want to open his eyes. He wanted her to stay quiet and let him sleep. This was the best sleep ever. He only tugged her tighter to him, feeling her every curve, and fell back into his deep slumber. She must've given up because he wasn't roused again.

He woke slowly later, feeling warm and comfortable. Sakura was still molded tightly to his body and she groaned when he shifted as he woke.

"Good afternoon," she mumbled, turning over to face him. "Sorry I made you stay the night," she giggled. Her whole body tensed in his grip as she did and it felt heavenly. "I didn't mean to," there was a soft flush on her face.

"It's quite alright," he spoke quietly, evenly.

"Did you sleep well at least?" she softly. She hadn't made a move to get out of his embrace and he couldn't say he was upset about it. He'd decided he liked her small body in his arms, though he had never thought he'd get here. He would have thought Shisui would be here, not him. She seemed far more comfortable with him.

"Very well, the best in a while," he answered honestly. She smiled sweetly.

"Well, I'm here if you need me," she said happily. She still didn't move. He was savoring that she didn't move. Most of the time, when women looked at him and all his scars, they thought he was hot. He was good enough for a quick romp, maybe, but not to lay in his arms late into the afternoon. "The other boys come here when they can't sleep either." That dampened his mood, just a little, but he could still enjoy her in his embrace.

"Ah, so that's why they're so protective."

"What are you insinuating?" she was up in a moment, and he missed her body so close. She watched him with sharp eyes, a warning underneath. He only sighed and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forcefully back down to his body.

"I meant nothing insensitive," he said as she was pressed against his body again. She didn't try to fight him. "They are just very protective. You offer them comfort when there is so little in this world. It is a comfort to sleep next to you, I cannot deny," his voice was even as he explained, his hand stroking through her hair subconsciously as he spoke. "The way you hold yourself against me is quite soothing and I did not have the nightmares I am usually prone to."

"Oh," she said softly.

"I am not jealous, if that is what you thought I meant," he said indifferently, staring at the ceiling. "I can see why they would enjoy holding you. I certainly do." He was being honest. He was opening himself up to her. Was this just the effect she had on those around her? He didn't open up to others, just Shisui. It certainly was an odd feeling.

"I'm not a slut," she was pouting. He could hear it in her voice.

"I never said you were," he said simply. "I assure you I will be back." He couldn't bring himself to explain to her that he had never had someone so willing to let him hold her or vice versa. He was sure she would hold him if he needed it.

"Why?" she asked, just curious. She rested her weight on her elbows to look at him. "I mean, I don't mind. I don't have a boyfriend; it's nice to sleep next to someone sometimes. I'm just wondering." So she was lonely too? Is that why she allowed her good friends to sleep in her bed?

"Would you like the truth?" he asked. He was having an easy time keeping his voice even, but little vestiges of emotion were coming through, though he was quite sure she didn't notice. She didn't know him well enough to catch the little bits of emotions.

"That's why I asked." She laughed and he found that he couldn't contain the small smile that broke through his lips.

"Women do not find me, what you would describe as, 'boyfriend material,' I suppose." He wrestled with telling her this, though he didn't let it show. "They see the scars that litter my body and think me a 'bad boy,' I suppose, and not someone they would like to know. They find me good enough for sex, but that is all. I do not have the luxury of holding someone so nicely until the morning."

"Oh, that's kind of sad," she sighed, though held no pity in her eyes. It seemed like much the same was for her. There was really no one for shinobi except other shinobi. It was slightly bothersome.

"That's why I may have to go through with an arranged marriage," Itachi said evenly. "It is not saddening, but I highly doubt my arranged wife will want to let me hold her like this either." He was breaking her heart, he really was. She only smiled at him.

"Well, I'll let you hold me whenever you want," she said softly. It was one of the only moments Itachi got to see her sweet side. "I let Shisui and Sasuke, so who am I to start being picky?" she laughed. "Oh, don't look like that. It's not like any of you are ever going to get my clothes off. I'm decidedly celibate," she laughed. "Not like I would hook up with an Uchiha anyways."

"Why not?" there was just curiosity in his voice. He really was curious.

"You Uchiha are too overprotective just because I'm like the little sister none of you ever had. If I slept with any of you, I'm sure you'd pound anything and everything that got in my way. I'm more than capable of doing that myself, so I'm not sleeping with any of you Uchiha men anytime soon." She was silent for a moment. "Anyways, I'm pretty sure it'll break my heart eventually anyways."

"Why?" She smiled to herself. All these questions about her taste in men.

"Sasuke spent a lot of years rejecting me. We grew to be really wonderful friends. So it's not like I would want to screw him anyways. He's like Naruto. Shisui treats me like a baby sister. It's cute, but I don't want to screw that up. If everything ends fucked up I lose someone I love and my partner on the field. I like him as my partner, we get along great. I'm not about to screw that up."

"And me?"

"You, Itachi Uchiha, are intimidating as hell," she said, the edge in her voice apparent. "I'm sure I'd never make friends again if I were to sleep with you. I only cuddled with you last night and you were so possessive of me this morning I couldn't even get out of your hold. If I slept with you that would only increase tenfold." Until he got bored with her, that is. Then he would drop her in the dust, like all her other boyfriends had. They used her until they got bored and just dropped her like a sack. She wasn't about to go through that with her best friend's brother, warm body against hers or not.

"You certainly seem to know a lot."

"I've been around Uchiha men for a long while," she laughed. "I know how you're going to react." She stretched and struggled to get away from him. "I have to use the bathroom, Itachi. I'll bring you back breakfast if you let me go," she baited him. He was hungry, that was true, and so he let her get away. She stretched once off the bed and passed a glowing green hand over her ankle for a couple minutes before she left the room.

He looked around the room while he waited. There wasn't much. The walls were painted a nice cream color and heavy black out curtains covered the windows. Her bed was dressed in forest green and there was white dresser near the closet, an old TV on it. He wondered if she used it. Guessing by the fact there was little dust on it, she did.

She was back rather quickly, a plate of eggs in her hand for him. She settled next to him to eat and took their plates back to the kitchen once they were done. She returned to him after, stretching languidly before falling back onto the bed.

"You have any plans?" she asked. He only silently shook his head. She watched him. He looked hot. He wore a sweater that fitted him nicely and jeans that did him no justice. She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about the hotness level of an Uchiha. "Come on, let's go to the living room. I have a chess set." He was interested; she could see it in his eyes.

"I didn't know you played," he said as he allowed her to pull him out of her big, comfortable bed. She only laughed.

"I don't have anyone smart to play with, except Shisui, but he gets bored after a while. Sasuke and Naruto are both too dumb to really give me a challenge. I always beat them." She let his arm go when they reached the living room and she went to a bookcase, struggling to reach the box at the top. Fuck, why'd she have to be so short? Itachi reached over her and pulled it down for her.

"Here," he placed it in her hands.

"Thanks," she said brightly, going to the coffee table. She pushed it a little away from the sofa and knelt before it. Itachi sat opposite her.

A while later, Itachi found out she was a sore loser. She wasn't outright, not to him at least, but she had a frustrated crease in her brow and she was pouting as she thought her next move. They were evenly matched, at least. He had won no more games than she had, really. He won this one though and Sakura fell back on her sofa.

"Alright, I'm mentally exhausted," she exclaimed. "I want to read."

"Shall I go, then?" he asked, unsure of whether he still wanted his company or not.

"Nah, you're fine," she laughed. "Here," she threw a book at him from the bookcase. He caught it with ease. "You should like that one." He nodded. It certainly did look interesting. "You don't have to stay on the floor you know," she said, frowning when he opened the book while still sitting on the floor. He raised a brow at her. "Come here," she laughed, patting the seat next to her. He rose, finding no qualms, and sat beside her.

It was frustrating having her beside him though and not having his arms around her. He didn't like that feeling. If there were others around he wouldn't have done this, wouldn't dream of doing this. He reached out to her and pulled her shoulder against his chest. He missed the smile on her face as she pushed him back to lean on the arm of the couch and made herself comfortable between his legs.

"You don't have to be so hesitant you know," she laughed. Of course he didn't, she allowed her friends to lay with her. "I let Ino and the other girls do it too, don't worry," she said opening her book. "Everyone's lonely, Weasel, sometimes you just have to take what you can get." Her words were stuck in his head for a long time after, even after he had left her house.

'Everyone's lonely. Sometimes you just have to take what you can get.' She sounded so sad when she said those words. How lonely was she? She was surrounded by people who loved her and were so overprotective of her they wanted to beat someone for hurting her though they were long dead. How could she be lonely, like she knew he was?

She was so loved, he could see it easily. She had an open personality and coaxed others to open up, even him. He wondered how she could be lonely. She was so sweet. She offered comfort to those who needed it, even to him, and he was 'intimidating as hell.'

Her words kept him up and made him think, hard and long. Did she really care that much about everyone? Was their pain hers? Did she identify with them because she knew the pain of loneliness and so allowed them the comfort of her affections? Probably. He liked her affections. Was he in love? No. Did he enjoy her body? Certainly. He found, probably like his brother and his cousin, that he just wanted to make her smile. He wanted to make that heartbroken look in her eyes go away. He found that she was irresistible, which was probably what drew others to her. There was something about Sakura Haruno. It was something off. It was something he wasn't so sure he wanted to figure out. As always, though, he was intrigued by her. He had no doubt he _would_ figure it out, whether he was open to it or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, you, my friends, are lovely. 16 follows in just about 24 hours. I'm glad you like it.**

 **Well, keep reading my lovelies. My head is just bursting with words.**

* * *

"Sakura," Tsunade tried to approach her apprentice quietly and carefully, "I think it's time to give up." Sakura's eyes flashed and she glared at her teacher.

"Don't you dare say that," her voice was low and dangerous. "Her heart's still beating. It's not time to give up yet," she said sharply. Tsunade was taken aback. She couldn't force Sakura away, she knew that was true. Sakura would fight her to her last breath and she knew this wasn't the time. "I'm not going to take three people away from him," she added softly. The heartbreak in her voice was what made Tsunade walk quickly to the little body, rolling up her sleeves.

"What do you need?" she asked, voice clipped. She didn't usually do this. Hell, she never did this. Her student needed her though or else she would continue to work until she collapsed where she stood.

"She isn't getting enough oxygen, but there's internal bleeding that's more important that I work on," Sakura answered immediately. Tsunade went to work on the baby's lungs, helping the girl breath easily. Her breathing was only labored because she had the internal bleeding. She needed oxygen, though, or her brain would shut down and this would all be for nothing.

Sakura and Tsunade were silent as Sakura worked. The baby girl wasn't under sedation, but the older woman was quite sure she didn't feel pain. Sakura was good at what she did. The girl's stomach was cut open and Sakura was working on fixing the veins that were causing the internal bleeding. She had been doing this for a while, three hours to be exact, and she had also been helping the baby breathe. Sakura just wouldn't give up.

Tsunade watched Sakura work for hours, stitching tiny veins together and healing damaged organs. There was so much wrong with the baby girl, but Sakura wasn't willing to give up.

"Sakura," Tsunade said sharply.

"No," she answered defiantly.

"Switch."

Sakura looked up at her in surprise for a quick moment before nodding and switching jobs with the older woman. She was low on chakra, but she hadn't about to give up. She had come too far to give up now and Tsunade knew that. The baby would be fine now with a couple more minutes. It was just her heart that needed help and Tsunade knew Sakura was too low on chakra to be able to complete it. She was too exhausted to be able to focus properly. Tsunade had no doubt Sakura could do it, but she could too and she had more than enough chakra left.

"There," Tsunade breathed, standing back. The baby girl was tired, but she let a weak, hungry cry. "She'll have to be quarantined for a couple weeks, just to make sure she won't get sick, but she'll be fine." Sakura nodded lethargically. "Go, Sakura. I know there are other things you have to do, but I'll take care of the baby." Sakura nodded.

She still had to write up the report of what happened. She had to tell the husband that his wife had died in childbirth, but they had saved one of the twins. The other had been stillborn. She had to make her rounds before she could go and finish her paperwork. She had already been at the hospital for ten hours, but she had the day off tomorrow. She could keep going.

She walked into the waiting room and found the husband rather easily.

"So?" he was up the moment she approached him. "Are they all okay?" He was a civilian male and didn't do much with shinobi around the village. He had never had a loss and her heart was sinking with what she had to tell him. She couldn't hesitate, though. She was a doctor.

"I'm sorry, but your wife has passed away. One of the twins didn't make it and the other baby girl was severely traumatized by the birth. Another doctor and I worked on her and she has to be quarantined for a couple weeks to keep her from getting sick. She'll be okay and you can see her. You just can't hold her." The man was crying.

"Did you try and save my wife? What about my other child?" he wasn't angry, not at all, but he was severely upset. He was fishing for information and Sakura knew it. She had to give it to him, though.

"We tried our best, but the second twin was stillborn and your wife's heart gave out soon after. We could not resuscitate her. I'm sorry," she was speaking in her clipped doctor's tone, but that was only to save face. She couldn't start crying in front of him. She was the one that had to be calm and softly supportive.

"Thank you," was all he said. He was calming down, she supposed, but she couldn't see how he'd be alright.

"Go see your daughter," Sakura said softly, gently taking hold of his arm and leading him to the front desk. "She needs you." The man nodded and she smiled thinly before walking away. She still had too much to do.

She settled in her office for a while and calmly began the report on the matter. She ignored her feelings and the overwhelming sadness and anger that was threatening to swallow her up. She pushed it away and shoved it down. She would get to that later. It would come back up, but when she wasn't busy and she knew it. How would she survive the night?

 _As the first baby was birthed, it was obvious she would not survive outside the womb. She did not cry and did not open her eyes. She died a few moments later._

She had lied to the man. The first baby had breathed a few breaths outside the womb, but she could not bear to tell him that she had. It was already terrible he lost two people; she could not bear to tell him that she hadn't died beforehand. It was a small mercy. She had found it would soothe the people a little more and they didn't see the report. Those were only for the hospital. The baby would not be given a birth or death certificate, either. The baby had not been alive for more than a few seconds. The hospital didn't issue things like that unless the baby had been alive for more than five minutes.

 _Just as the second twin was born, breathing and crying, the patient went into cardiac arrest. Attempts to resuscitate failed. The second twin had major internal bleeding and damaged organs. Doctor Haruno and Lady Tsunade treated the baby. She is now in intensive care, under quarantine for two weeks._

Sakura finished writing her report and sighed. She wouldn't look at this one again, didn't want to. She tucked it into the file and put it away inside her filing cabinet. This was only for her records. It would be brought out if another doctor needed the case or Tsunade wanted to look over it. She stretched and picked up a change of clothes she often kept around. Hers were soaked with blood, including the labcoat. They were destined for the garbage.

The other nurses and doctors seemed to be mildly surprised when she made her rounds. Did they not expect her to be around still? She had things to do, she wasn't about to go home. She didn't make much small talk with her patients, but they didn't seem to mind. It was about nine-thirty at night. Most were sleeping anyways. She finished and walked back to her office.

Her paperwork wasn't too bad tonight, but there was still quite a bit of it. She had to add notes to her patients' files of how they were doing that day. She had to file away who was discharged during the day and look over the last checkup a nurse had performed. Nothing seemed too wrong and she was glad. She could only imagine having to call someone back to the hospital at ten at night because a nurse had fucked up.

Finally, when the clock was nearing eleven, she shut the last file away. She took a quick look over her office, making sure everything was neat, and walked out the door. She didn't take the window tonight. She didn't want to. She was so exhausted, so sad, so mixed up inside. She didn't have it in her to stick the landing tonight.

"Goodbye Sakura," some of the night nurses waved goodbye at her. She didn't answer, only nodded in whoever's direction when they spoke to her. She made her way slowly along the streets of her home, coming to her building a mere ten minutes later. It should have only taken five, but she was way too tired for that.

She got into the shower when she got into her apartment. She washed vigorously, trying to wash the scent of blood and death from her skin and her hair. She used about half of her shampoo and nearly an entire bottle of body wash. This is what always happened when someone died on her. She washed and washed, trying to get the stench of them off her, but it clung to her for days.

She collapsed at her bed, but couldn't sleep. She was so, so tired, but couldn't close her eyes. She could only stare at the ceiling. It was too quiet. The room was too dark. She felt so very alone. She heard her whimpers, felt the tears and the sobs, but didn't quite realize it was herself until the pain hit her. She curled herself into a ball and cried, sputtering and whimpering as she did. She didn't want to be alone, not right now, but here she was.

She wiped her eyes and padded softly to her door. She climbed the stairs quietly and softly, standing before Shisui's door for a long five minutes. She just stared at the white painted wood, her hand resting lightly on the doorknob. She knew it was open. Shisui rarely locked the door when he was home. She just fought with herself for a long time, tears fighting past her eyelids all the while. She finally opened the door.

It was dark and quiet on the other side, but she knew he was here. He was asleep by now, but she didn't want to be alone. She couldn't be alone right now. She shut the door quietly behind her and walked through the apartment. She couldn't even flare her chakra to let him know she was there. She had so little, he probably didn't even know that she was there.

His bedroom door was open and the soft light of the TV filtered into the hallway. She stood on the threshold for a long moment, tears still sliding down her cheeks, watching him sleep for a little while. She didn't want to wake him. She really didn't. She needed someone, anyone, though, and he was the easiest to access. She slowly made her way across the room and pulled back the covers, sliding into bed.

"Sak?" Shisui mumbled sleepily, sitting up and staring down at her. "Hey, Sak, what's wrong?" he was fully alert in the next minute after noticing she was crying. He pulled her into his arms and pressed her face into his shoulder, brushing the tears away that he could reach. "Shh, shh, little baby, what's wrong?" he cooed. That didn't seem to help. More tears, coming faster by the second, soaked into his shirt. He reached for her waist and pulled her onto his lap, his arms tight around her.

"I've been at the hospital all day," she whispered, voice hoarse from all her crying. She didn't look at him and he only ran his fingers through her hair soothingly. "A woman came in and she was going into premature labor. She and one of the twin girls died. Tsunade and I worked over the other twin for four hours before she was okay."

"Why'd you work so hard on her?" Shisui asked, holding her tighter. Sakura was obviously upset because she'd lost two people today instead of none. Sakura never dealt with deaths well. She was still so innocent even though she'd been subjected to death since she was a child.

"I couldn't take all of his family away," she sniffled, burying her face in his chest. He only tightened his hold on her. "She was still breathing and her heart was still beating. I wasn't going to give up on her," she said softly, her voice just a tiny little thing that Shisui could hardly hear.

"Sak, you're a good doctor," he said softly, still stroking her hair. "Don't ever forget that." She seemed to have calmed down some. She had. She just wanted a hug and Shisui always let her when she needed it. She was feeling better just from his touch. His soft words helped too, she couldn't deny, but the feeling of his arms around her and his body below her was a greater comfort.

"Can I sleep?" she asked, rubbing her cheek on his chest.

"How could I say no when you're being so cute?" he asked cheekily. He managed to get a thin smile from her. "Come on, here we go," he said softly. He slowly slid back down in his bed, lying down. She went easily enough and didn't complain when he turned on his side, pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head. "It'll be okay, Sak, you saved one instead of none. That's more than anyone else could do."

"I should have been able to save them all," she said dejectedly.

"You aren't a god, so don't try playing one," he said, tightening his arms around her in a hug. She was molded to his body, pressing harshly against him. She needed it. He didn't mind, not at all. "We all wish we could be, you know. You saved him some pain, and that's enough. Don't beat yourself up about it," even though he said it, he knew she still would. That's just how Sakura was. She could beat herself up about things out of her control.

"I know," she said quietly. He knew she was just saying it to make him feel at ease. That's just how she was.

"You sound and look exhausted, Sak. I didn't even notice your chakra in the apartment. How low are you?"

"Extremely," she answered, forcing her body to relax and her head to fall on Shisui's chest. "And I have to go spar in the morning!" she groaned. Shisui rolled his eyes.

"Cancel for once."

"I can't. This one's with Sasuke, Naruto, and Itachi. You can come with me if you want. I don't mind." She only offered as an afterthought, but she didn't really mind Shisui tagging along. He was funny and offered a pretty good challenge when he got into it.

"Of course, I'll follow you anywhere," he said with mock gallantry. "Go to sleep now, Sak, I'll still be here in the morning," he assured her. She nodded tiredly and her cheek didn't move from his shoulder after. He rubbed his hand over her back until he heard her breathing turn slow. She wouldn't wake for a while, even if he moved, but he didn't try to disentangle himself from her. He settled into his pillows and closed his own eyes.

* * *

"She's not usually late; we should go check on her!" Naruto yelled arms over his chest. He and Sasuke were worried about their teammate, but Itachi couldn't seem to care less. He sat near them, eyes closed and hands neatly in his lap.

"She's fine, idiot, she can take care of herself," Sasuke rolled his eyes. "She's allowed to be late every now and then." Sakura was always on time, but every so often she would be a little late. "Look, idiot, there she is," he jerked his chin towards the entrance of the training ground. Sakura was walking towards them, Shisui behind her. He looked incredibly laid back, hands in his pockets and in an almost leaning stature.

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked. It seemed a little mean, but Sasuke just shook his head. Shisui only shrugged.

"I was invited after some late night canoodling," he laughed. Sakura hit his shoulder, but there was a small smile on her face too. "That was mean."

"Say we were canoodling again and I'll break your shoulder next time," she shot back, rolling her eyes. Itachi was already there, had been the first to arrive, but didn't mind waiting on her. He stood, nodding his head to her in greeting.

"Well, now the teams are uneven!" Naruto whined.

"Get your girlfriend," Sakura shot back.

"Really?" he was extremely excited in the next second and she shook her head, rolling her eyes. Of course she meant it. If it meant that much that the teams were uneven, he could get someone to even it out.

"Duh." She shook her head. "Go get your girlfriend or the first person you come across that wants to partake in fake battle," she said. She flopped on the ground. "We'll spar while we wait for you," she shrugged.

"I'll be back soon!" Naruto said, his excitement tangible. He ran off towards the entrance, hoping he could find Hinata. Sakura only rolled her eyes and fell to the ground. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. Something was off about her. She didn't seem to have as much chakra as she usually did and she looked like she'd had a rough night. She wasn't even wearing her usual ninja outfit, just a loose fitting t-shirt and some shorts. He knew she wasn't in a good mood, but wondered how deep that ran.

"Stop staring at me, Sasuke, or I might think you're checking me out," Sakura said flatly. Sasuke flushed and looked quickly away while Shisui snorted.

"Will we not be sparring right now?" Itachi asked, raising a brow. That's what he had been dragged here to do, why weren't they doing it?

"You and one of the other two can go for it," Sakura said lazily. "I'm saving my energy for the mock battle." Itachi watched her now, too. She didn't usually say no to a spar, especially with one of her 'boys.' There was something just a little wrong with her, he could sense it. Sakura didn't snap at him like she had his brother and he wondered why.

"Come on, Sak," Shisui said, standing over her. "We can go easy today, how bout that?" Shisui's voice was just a little softer when he spoke to her and there was a sliver of worry in his eye. Sakura let him hoist her up and she shrugged.

"Sorry, I guess Shisui really wanted to tire me out early," she said sharply, rolling her eyes. Shisui only shook his head and laughed. He tugged her to the side and began throwing punches at her. Sasuke looked at Itachi.

"So, what do you think?" he asked. "Want to spar with me?" Itachi sighed.

"Let's go," was all he said. He and Sasuke moved to the other side of the training ground.

"Hey, I'm back!" Naruto yelled hands behind his head as he led Hinata onto the training ground. Hinata was a little shy, as always, and seemed to turn bright red when she noticed the three Uchihas around. She didn't really make a habit of speaking to them, any of them, and she didn't really know if she'd be able to hold her own against them.

"Don't worry, Hinata, we're just using taijutsu," Sakura said as she flipped Shisui onto his back. He was laughing. They were having a much more playful mock spar than anything else. He hadn't wanted to tire her out too much and decided he wanted to make her laugh. Hinata flushed as she watched Sakura flip the older man so easily.

"So, teams. How should we do it?" Naruto asked, a huge grin on his face.

"Well, it should be well balanced out," Sakura sighed. "I can take you and Sasuke pretty easily, so one of you should be on my team. Shisui and Itachi definitely need to be on different teams, we'll let them decide which. That leaves Hinata on either Sasuke or Naruto's side," Sakura had this all figured out. Hinata just had to decide if she wanted to fight with Naruto or not.

"I'd like to fight against Naruto, if I could," she flushed. She didn't want to be on the same team as he was. She wanted to see if she could fend for herself against him.

"Naruto, you're with me," Sakura said, beckoning him. He nodded and stood beside her.

"To balance out power, Itachi's going to go with Naruto and Hinata," Shisui said, walking to Sakura's side. "You've got me." Itachi was just a little stronger than Shisui was, but that didn't bother the older man. He could still hold his own against him in a fight and had even won against him a couple times, but knew to admit when he was stronger.

"Alright. Start," Sakura said without preamble. They all shot away from each other, into separate sides of the training grounds and in the trees.

Hinata was way out of her league. They were going easy on her, she could tell, but she couldn't help but think her cousin would have been better suited for this. Sakura was darting between people, doling out swift punches to her opponents. She was still able to take on Itachi as she did and he could barely keep up with her. Naruto was clashing with Sasuke, back to back with her as she fought Shisui. Sasuke had a challenge with Naruto and Shisui, not bored looking per say, had a blank expression on his face as he dodged and weaved between her attacks, getting a hit in every so often.

Sakura darted between Naruto and Sasuke, giving the second a quick jab to his abdomen, winking as she did, and whirled around to block Itachi's punch just as Sasuke doubled over for a quick moment, allowing Naruto to get a hit in. She grinned at Itachi and slid away from him again, darting between Hinata and Shisui, tripping the other girl in the process. She grinned at Hinata as she left the space.

"Shisui, I don't know how you do it," Hinata heard Itachi's quick comment as he whirled away after her. Shisui only laughed and offered a hand to Hinata. He hoisted her back to her feet and commenced sparring with her again.

"Hey, Naruto, switch!" Shisui called. The blond was in front of her in the next moment, giving her a bright smile as he threw a punch at her. He was going easy on her too, but he seemed to have a lot more fun with it. Shisui and Sasuke had left the immediate area, attacking each other rapidly not far away.

"Catch me if you can, Weasel!" Naruto turned and laughed as they watched Sakura dart around the battlefield. She got Sasuke in the stomach again, but ignored Hinata and Naruto. They seemed distracted; she wasn't about to try and attack when they weren't doing so to each other. Even Shisui and Sasuke were slightly distracted now, watching them. How was she faster than Itachi? Shisui guessed she used her great chakra control.

Itachi reached for her arm and whipped her towards a tree. She laughed as she stopped herself from hitting it just in time.

"I think we're done," Shisui laughed. "Though I do enjoy watching Sakura play tag with her opponent, I'm hungry."

"Me too!" Naruto said, wrapping an arm around Hinata's shoulder and laughing as he did. Sakura picked herself up and brushed the dust off of her. She patted Itachi on the back and smiled at him. It had been fun having him chase her around the battlefield.

"How do you do that?" Itachi asked before everyone noticed they were talking.

"Chakra," she winked. "Stream a bit into the soles of my feet and I can push against the ground harder and move further without having to move faster." Itachi was taken aback. She was smarter than he thought. She knew her shortcomings and went to extremes to try and make them go away.

"Where are we going to go for lunch?" Naruto asked loudly.

"My place," Sakura said before anyone else could suggest something. "You two stocked up my cupboards while I was away and I can't get through all of it myself." She had no doubt they did that on purpose. They knew she'd cook for them more often if they brought her the ingredients or stocked up her cupboards while on a mission. They liked being sneaky like that.

"Oh Jesus, I could go for something from your head," Shisui lamented. "You owe me anyways." He winked in response to her sharp look. "Don't give me that, you know you do."

"Shut up, dickface," she muttered, walking off. Shisui only laughed and followed her. The rest of them were slightly confused, but walked after them. They followed her to her apartment and all filed in. The space was a little small for all of them, but they managed to fit. Shisui joined Sakura in the kitchen to help her. He was worried about her. She hadn't really said anything when he had woken her this morning. She was still acting a little off, only he could see it, though, because he knew. She seemed to be keeping the others from worrying, though.

"You okay?" he whispered, so softly only she could hear when he passed her with some steak and a knife. Sakura only nodded in response. In reality, she just wanted to hug him again and bury her face in his shoulder until all the bad feelings went away, but that wasn't an option at the moment. He brushed a hand over hers and she smiled in such a fragile way that his worry increased. She wasn't doing well.

"What'd you think, Sakura?" Naruto asked across the room.

"Sorry, what?" she asked. Naruto shook his head.

"Who do you think will be married first, me or Sasuke?" Sakura raised an eyebrow. She scoffed and leaned on the breakfast bar.

"Obviously Sasuke," she said sarcastically, "didn't you know he proposed to me just the other day? The day's set for next Monday." Sasuke obviously hadn't been too interested in the argument and had just been letting Naruto talk, but he couldn't help the flush on his face. Sakura let out a bark of laughter and turned around.

"I might have something to say about you marrying Sakura, cousin," Shisui laughed. "I believe she agreed to marry me a year ago when I asked her after I woke up from a liver problem," he winked at her. Sakura rolled her eyes at him.

"I'd rather marry Itachi," she huffed. She wasn't about to let him get away unscathed by this conversation. "He's quieter and knows when to shut up." Sasuke grunted in amusement and Shisui placed a hand over her heart. "What are you doing?"

"Wondering how your ice cold heart is still pumping blood," he said slyly. She rolled her eyes and pushed his hand off her.

"I'm wondering which bone I'm going to break in punishment."

"Punishment?" Shisui raised a brow in amusement. The others were watching their exchange, finding it hard to keep their amusement at bay. Naruto was laughing and Sasuke was openly smiling, Hinata smiling shyly into her hand. Itachi was the only one that didn't outwardly show his amusement. He still watched the two.

"You just went to second base without my permission," she crossed her arms as she stared at him.

"Rude. Your heart isn't your breast. I thought you knew that," Shisui said back, "I thought you were the doctor here." She stepped back from him, a flicker of hurt in her eyes. Oh shit, oh shit, he said the wrong thing. She was really sensitive right now and he should have remembered that. Her easy banter had made him forget. The others watched as he reached out to her. "Sorry, Sak," he said quietly, hoping she wouldn't run to her room.

"Just don't," she said softly, turning to the counter. She began chopping onions, not in the mood to play anymore.

"Oh, have you taken Tori for a walk yet today?" Naruto asked. He was anxious to be out of the tense apartment now.

"She's in my bedroom," Sakura answered despondently. Naruto gave her a big grin and went to get the dog from her room. He tried to keep her from getting away from him when he let her out, but she went straight to Sakura. The woman only smiled down at her dog and fished out a treat from the drawer beneath her. Tori ate it within a second.

"Alright, I'll be right back. Coming Hinata?" he asked, smiling. Hinata nodded and caught up with him before he walked out the door. He handed the leash to her. "Sakura's trained her really well. She doesn't pull at all," he was saying as the couple walked out the door. Sakura paid no real heed to the door closing.

Sasuke pulled out the chessboard to challenge Itachi with, since they both weren't the type to talk much. Sakura didn't seem to want to talk anymore, either, so it didn't matter. They could enjoy a quiet round of chess.

Shisui didn't want to try to calm her down right now, not with the other two in the room. She was glaring at her cutting board, but he knew she wasn't so much angry as breaking down on the inside again. He reached out to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and she just erupted into tears. She had been trying to hold it in, had tried to push it down, but Shisui really shouldn't have touched her. With just a little touch, she burst into tears.

"Shh, shh," Shisui shushed her in the way he always did and pulled her into his arms. Sasuke and Itachi were watching, confused and worried. Sakura hated this. She didn't like crying in front of other people, really didn't, but couldn't help herself at all. Shisui was stroking her back and whispering in her ear. "Remember what I said last night? You're a great doctor and I'm sorry I said what I did earlier so thoughtlessly. Just calm down, okay? It's all fine. You're fine." He was just speaking nonsense to her, he knew it, but didn't care. She was sniffling less and less and the tears were becoming a little less heavy.

"You okay, Sakura?" Sasuke asked when she finally pulled out of Shisui's hug, wiping her eyes. She nodded slowly and just picked her knife up again. Shisui leaned on the counter beside her and rubbed her back for a few minutes, knowing she just wanted him to touch her, in any way. When she was upset, she didn't understand word, just gentle touches. Sasuke and Itachi feigned ignorance, returning to their chess game.

"Hey, we're back!" Naruto called as he busted through the door. Sakura didn't really answer. She nodded at him, but didn't do much else. The air was still tense and Naruto just ignored it. He sat beside Sasuke and began trying to give him pointers on what move to make. Hinata sat next to him and just watched silently.

"Here, Sakura," Shisui said quietly, taking the seasoned meat from her. "I'll cook it. You do your side dish." She only nodded. She was still upset; he could see it in her eyes. He thought he should have just kept her in bed today, holding her and hushing her. She wouldn't have cried again and he wouldn't have said anything so terrible.

The boys were arguing again and the tense atmosphere was dissipating. Sakura still wasn't smiling and Shisui was certain she was beating herself up again. He hated this. He hated that he didn't want to hug her and tell her the things he wanted to when there were others around, but the others were much the same. He knew they wouldn't say anything while the others were there either.

"Sak," he stopped her when she went to try and take over for him. "Calm down, you're okay," he whispered, watching her worriedly. She looked about to cry again. She only took a deep breath. "I'll join you tonight again, don't worry," he said, trying to quell her mood. She leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment before turning away. He felt a little better at her move. It made him a little calmer knowing she accepted his offer.

They cooked together, barely listening to Sasuke and Naruto's bickering. Itachi and Hinata were still just watching them, both wondering how the two could argue about anything. Shisui finished the steak first, but Sakura was soon behind him. He pulled out plates for everyone and helped her serve everything.

"Here we go," he said to the other guests in her apartment. He walked around, handing plates to everyone. He and Sakura sat on the stools to the breakfast bar, backs to the countertop. She was eating slowly and still wasn't speaking. He knew Itachi had caught on to something by this point. He was watching her closely, though Naruto was doing a good job keeping Sasuke distracted.

Itachi got up first and held his hand out for Sakura's plate. She handed it to him and just stared at her hands after. Shisui reached over and placed his over hers. "It's not there," he whispered. She only nodded numbly.

"Do you need anything before we go, Sakura?" Naruto asked. He had to take Hinata home. Her father would be wondering where she was soon. Sakura shook her head and smiled at Naruto before he left. He patted Tori's head on the way out.

Sasuke was the next to leave, wanting to find Shikamaru for something. Itachi was still doing dishes and Shisui was just waiting for him to leave. Sakura just wanted to go back to bed, he could see it, and he wasn't about to leave her alone. Not right now. Itachi finished putting away the last dish and stood in front of Sakura. He waited until she looked at him, which took several long minutes. He grasped her chin and held her still, checking her.

"You should get some sleep," was all he said after he inspected her. She nodded numbly. "I'll be by tomorrow to see you," he said, raising his hand in farewell as he walked out the door. She watched him leave, slightly confused. What was that?

"That's just how Itachi worries," Shisui shrugged. "When he cares about someone he tends to check them over and check in on them again." Sakura only nodded again. "Alright, come on." He pulled her up into his arms and carried her to her room. He checked on the dog, but she was just sleeping on a sofa, so he left her. He got Sakura into bed and in his embrace before he began talking again. "So what's up? Same thing as last night?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "I didn't mean to cry. I didn't want to. I'm sorry. I've worried everyone."

"You can't keep it inside forever you know," Shisui said quietly, pushing his fingers into her hair. "I'm just lucky I was your choice this time," he lightly joked. Sakura didn't want her friends to think she cried so much and so would often go to different friends at different times. They knew it was happening, but kept it from each other when it happened. She needed to be able to trust them. Sakura knew full well of this, but she usually acted much more nonchalantly than today.

"It shouldn't bother me this much," she said softly, staring at the ceiling as she rolled onto her back. "I should be able to push it down, ignore it, but I can't sometimes. It's just close to me, I guess," she whispered the last part so softly Shisui hardly even heard her.

"What do you mean, Sak?" he asked, staring at the ceiling with her. She didn't really speak about her past, but he had a feeling this was what it was about. She wasn't usually forthcoming about herself. She liked her friends to know her in the present, rather than remembering what had happened.

"My parents died six months apart," she said softly. He looked over at her but her eyes were dry. She was just repeating a story at this point, there were no more tears left to shed about it. "My dad died on a mission and my mom killed herself."

"Is that what you meant when you said you couldn't take the man's entire family away?" Shisui asked softly. He was paraphrasing, he knew, but thought it would work. She didn't respond for a long minute and he knew she was crying over her failure again.

"Yeah," she swallowed thickly. He leaned over and kissed the side of her face. "I guess that's why I cry over killing anyone. I know they have a family and I don't wish that feeling on anyone, knowing that their family isn't coming home," she said softly.

"That's why you protect us so fiercely," he said quietly, remembering how she had stood over him, defending him angry and violently against their opponents, not willing to give in. She never gave in. She had done this a couple times and those times were seared into his memory.

"That's why," she agreed. She would rather sacrifice herself rather than put their family through that. She was fierce and vicious and he never wanted to meet her as an enemy. He pulled her on top of his chest and hugged her tightly. He held her tightly like that for a few long minutes, trying to convey a feeling he couldn't put into words.

"Don't you ever get tired of giving it your all like that, though?" he asked. She was selfless, this little thing. She did everything and anything she could to help just because she didn't want anyone to go through the pain she felt. People she didn't know, family members of her enemies, even. She didn't want them to feel her pain and that was so very commendable.

"No," she answered strongly. "I gave a man a little girl instead of three dead family members yesterday. I've brought you and Sasuke back to Itachi. I brought Naruto back for Hinata and Sasuke once. I've brought many of my teammates back for their family members. I don't get tired saving people who have others that would cry over them. I can't get tired bringing all of you back with me. I already give too many people notices of deaths, I can't give more. I can't give my teammates' family members news of their death because I should always have their back and always defend them."

"Sakura, one day you're going to have to. One day you won't be able to save someone." Sakura shook her head.

"I'm tenacious, not dumb," she said, that familiar edge back in her voice. "I've already had to anyways." Shisui didn't ask who. He didn't want to. Sakura was a little calmer now and he didn't want to make her cry again. She'd cried enough for a year in the past twelve hours alone. "I'm tired," she sighed, rubbing her cheek on his chest.

"Then sleep," he laughed. "I won't try to go to second base again, don't worry. I'll ask you first next time," he winked at her and she smacked his chest, though she didn't put any strength behind it. She pressed her body to his, smiling as she got comfortable. He reached to her bedside table for the remote and flipped on the TV. He wasn't very tired yet, it was only late afternoon, but he wouldn't dare try and leave her. She would be a little more than hurt if he did.

* * *

"Why are you here?" Sakura raised a brow to the man in her doorway, who did the same right back at her. He pulled his hand from behind him and offered her the bag.

"I told you I would come see you today," he said flatly. She looked to the bag, but didn't let her eyes linger. He almost thought she wasn't going to allow him interest, but he was pleasantly surprised when she stepped to the side.

"Sorry," she said softly. "I was just a little surprised." Apparently, that's how she would have greeted Sasuke and Naruto if they had come by, he could tell from her tone. She didn't seem to want to be bothered right now.

"Shall I go?" he set the bag on the table, intending to leave it whether or not she wanted him there.

"No, it's okay. I could use some quiet company," she sent a glowing smile his way. She hadn't been alone with him since she'd forced him into her bed, and that was about a week ago. He hadn't been avoiding her; he was just a busy ANBU captain. He had made time to accept other invitations, like the spar yesterday.

Itachi pulled an interesting looking book from the bookcase and sat next to her. The dog, Tori, was napping on the carpet at their feet. Sakura petted her absentmindedly for a second before leaning into the couch and turning her attention to the TV. She had been watching something before he knocked and wasn't about to turn it off. She didn't mind in the least that he didn't want to watch with her.

"I felt bad that you cried yesterday," he said quietly, evenly. He didn't know how to broach the subject with her and so just went the blunt route. She blinked and looked at her hands. She didn't want to think about yesterday. She had woken up feeling so much better, especially since Shisui was still there when she woke up. He had stuck around until he'd had to leave for his mission. A simple A-rank guarding some dignitary or other.

"It's okay," she floundered for words. "I just don't want to talk about it," she smiled at him again, that glowing smile again. They were silent for a few minutes. "Jesus Christ, Sasuke, why don't you know how to leave me alone?" she glared at the far window. Itachi raised a brow. He had sensed Sasuke at precisely the same time she had.

"I wanted to make sure you're alright," he said grudgingly. "I brought you food." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You stock my cupboards all the time. Why do I need more?"

"It's takeout, Sak," he said flatly, finally jumping in. He stepped over the dog, not even sparing her a glance, as he made his way to Sakura. Sasuke wasn't one for dogs, even well behaved ones like Tori."I didn't tell Naruto, if that's what you're going to ask. I can't focus when he's around."

"No one can, Sasuke, you aren't special," she rolled her eyes at him. This was quickly turning into a house party. At least Shisui was away or he would come barging in too. Perhaps she could run off to Ino's and push for a night out at the bar. She'd be happy about it and Sakura could get a night off from her crazy friends.

"Shut up and take it," he sighed, pulling out a container. He shoved it into her lap. "Sorry, 'Tachi, I didn't know you were here." He went to the kitchen to grab a plate. He'd split his with his brother. Sakura waited until he sat beside her, handing the plate to Itachi, before she began to eat. Though she was grumpy, Sasuke knew she appreciated it.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Why were you crying?" he asked, his tone even. This was the way to talk to her. Ask her straightforward questions and don't look at her. Sakura shook her head, though. She wasn't going to tell him with Itachi around. "Come on, Sak," he said flatly.

"You know why," she said lowly, dangerously. Ah, so her parents. She didn't talk about them around people she didn't entirely trust yet. Sasuke only nodded. Itachi was interested, but knew better than to try and ask when she had that tone in her voice. He would have to ask his brother later. Sasuke pushed something onto her plate.

"You like shrimp," Sakura said, staring at him.

"You like it more," he said simply, returning to his container. Itachi watched their exchange, as he always did. He was very interested in how his little brother was acting and how Sakura was answering. She didn't even try to hide her grumpiness and his brother took it in stride. He had thought Sasuke was a little more impatient and short tempered.

"'Tachi, how'd the new recruits fare on the test?" Sasuke asked. He was bored. Sakura wasn't in the mood and he liked it when Itachi ripped new ANBU recruits to shreds.

"There were only two. One cannot aim worth a rat's ass. He almost hit me with a jutsu because he was 'nervous,'" Itachi sighed. "The other managed to become maimed via a clone. I did not have hope for either of them, but their performance was laughingly terrible." He was surprised when he heard Sakura laugh.

"Jesus Christ, you have to deal with that shit too?" Sasuke smiled to himself. That's how Sakura opened up. She liked to talk shit about terrible recruits. "Last time I went out with recruits I nearly passed out from my chakra levels. That's just what they did to me by accident," she sighed. "One of them didn't know how to use shuriken correctly and the other made my wound worse because he was pretty shitty as a medic."

"Was that for ANBU?"

"No. It was a test for medic recruits. They were trying to pass the test for chuunin medics, but failed. It was embarrassing to watch." Sakura shook her head. "Tsunade reamed them for it, too. She told them, 'how did you think that's how to heal a wound? Have you not listened to anything I've said?' I'm pretty sure those two would have been dead if she had gone out with them instead of me."

"I'm sure you broke a few bones," Sasuke said, giving her a skeptical look.

"Of course I did. I was pissed. I made them heal it themselves too. They took much better care of themselves than they did me, though, so I got a little pissed." Sakura finished off her food and put her container on the coffee table. "I made them scrub the public bathhouses," she grinned.

"You are ruthless," Sasuke laughed, a short bark of a laugh, and leaned back into the couch. He reached for the small woman and she entered his embrace quite easily. Itachi watched with a hint of jealousy. How he wished he could reach out for the woman as easily as his brother and cousin did. She went so very easily and he was certain she would have no qualms about doing the same with him. He didn't know how to comfort others. He really didn't. It frustrated him slightly. He did not have the same ease as his brother.

Sakura seemed comfortable in his embrace, smiling as she watched her show. She didn't seem uncomfortable with Itachi around. Would she enter his embrace as easily? He didn't dare try now. He could only imagine how Sasuke would think and react. He was sure she would choose Sasuke over him, anyways.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" Sasuke was asking. He knew Shisui had the night before, but he didn't know if she had managed to silence the dark thoughts yet. Sometimes it only took a couple hours and other times it took a week. It just depended on how bad it was. Sakura smiled at how Sasuke cared.

"I think I'll be alright. I'm quite sure I'll have Itachi annoying me late into the night," she laughed. Sasuke raised a brow at his brother, but was only met with an unnerving gaze. There was a flicker of something in those dark depths. He didn't know what it was; it had already flickered away the second he looked.

"Alright," Sasuke said, hugging her. Sakura smiled. Sasuke didn't often want to hug her, didn't often want to hold her, but it was certainly nice when he'd decided to. For whatever reason he would shower her in affection for a few days if he caught her upset. She supposed she couldn't mind all that much. As she'd said to Itachi, everyone was lonely. Take what you can get.

They watched TV for a while, Itachi just reading his book, when there was knocking at the door. By the look on Sakura's face, she knew who it was.

"Well, boys, I'll be at the hospital until three am. Figure out who'll calm me down this time," she said grimly. She was out the door in the next minute, someone unseen immediately talking to her as she closed the door. Tori had followed her to the door and looked a little sad her mistress had just left without a goodbye.

"She was called into the hospital," Sasuke said, leaning back into the couch.

"Why did she say that before parting?"

"It had to do with her crying yesterday," Sasuke said shortly. He was trying to tell his brother this wasn't open for discussion, but Itachi wasn't going to let up that easy.

"Do you know why she cried?" he asked, keeping his eyes on his book. Sasuke shrugged. He clapped a couple times and Tori came running. He pet her. Itachi looked up to watch for a moment. Sasuke didn't like dogs, that was true, but he was petting her? Confusing.

"I can't tell you. I really can't. She would beat the shit out of me if she found out it was me. She'll tell you, when she's ready. It's another one of her tests."

"What does that test include?"

"Whether she can trust you or not," Sasuke shrugged again. He pointed to the floor and Tori laid down."You can go home if you want. I'll wait up for her." Sasuke said this so decisively, like he really didn't want to leave her house. Itachi didn't want to leave, had missed being alone with her. He missed bodily contact, had the very night he had left. He had wanted to obtain a hug, hold her a bit, be the one to make her feel better.

"Alright. Tell her I'll be by tomorrow," he said indifferently. He'd have to let Sasuke have this one. He didn't want to, not really. He thought Sasuke looked a little smug as he left the apartment. Itachi had walked away this time, but he wasn't going to let his little brother get away with it the next.

He stopped by the hospital to check on her a few hours later after he had sat by a stream for a while, meditating. She had just gotten out of surgery and was sitting with her head on the desk. She looked tired. He jumped in through the window and placed a wrapped riceball next to her. He had grabbed a couple from his mother before going to meditate. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she touched him briefly.

"Thanks, Weasel," she murmured. "I'll go home soon, kay?" He tightened his grip for a moment before letting go. He jumped back through the window, heading home. Sure, he had let his little brother stay up for her and undoubtedly hold her tonight, but he had checked on her without her flipping out. That was a win, in his book.

Sakura picked herself up off the desk and stretched. She was just tired. No one died on her today, thankfully, but she _had_ spent five hours in the surgery room. She unwrapped the riceball and ate happily. It was nice of Itachi to bring it to her. She just had to finish her report and go home. It was a quick report, at least, and she was hopping through the window soon after.

"Oh, Sasuke," she smiled. She'd been expecting Itachi, especially after his little visit. Tori came running up and she knelt to pet her. "Thanks for waiting up. Sorry I was so grumpy earlier." Sasuke only shrugged and got up, turning off the TV.

"It doesn't matter to me. I was just worried about you," he said honestly. He had wanted to know why she'd been crying and wasn't giving up just yet. Sakura sighed and slumped in a chair, still petting Tori. Sasuke moved to stand in front of her and she leaned her head on his stomach.

"It wasn't anything, really, just me overreacting," she smiled sheepishly. "A man lost his wife and one of the twins he was carrying the other day and I let it hit me harder than it should have. Shisui said something that set me off, but he rectified it, don't worry." Her voice was cheery and she wasn't even really acting. She was okay now, she was. She didn't know why he worried.

"Ah. You were always prone to your emotions," he said softly, though without much emotion. He wasn't very good at this, showing her how he felt. He knew it was enough that he was there for her. He didn't have the words, but he had his presence to make her feel better.

"So, are you lonely or what?" Sakura asked, smiling at the floor. Sasuke was in her bed the least of her friends, minus Itachi. He made himself scarce most of the time, though. Naruto hardly came around, either, but he had a girl now. Ino had been there just a few nights ago, but she only came after a guy broke up with her or someone didn't call her after a one night stand or something.

"Kind of. I haven't gotten laid recently."

"Don't expect any from me."

"Wasn't planning on it. Sleeping next to someone is enough."

Sakura smiled at him, but it was such a sad smile. It was her understanding smile, the one that made her look far more innocent than she did already. She wrapped her arms around his middle. He didn't mind the light embrace. "You'll find someone, Sasuke."

"And yourself?" he asked, lifting her easily. It was time to get her to bed before she ended up pulling an all nighter again. He made sure the dog was on the sofa before heading to her room. Tori seemed to know that was her place at night.

"There's no one for me. I'll just be a serial cuddler for the rest of my life," she grinned at him. She said that a lot. She had sworn off men entirely over a year ago and had gone for the ANBU test not long after. Sasuke didn't think she'd even gotten laid since her last boyfriend, a year and a half ago. She just let her friends crawl into bed and hold her.

"You shouldn't say that. If there's someone for me, there's someone for you," he said, laying her down. He climbed in next to her and she instantly rolled over, letting him spoon her. He liked sleeping with her like that. It was funny and a little ironic. His brother liked it that way too.

"Sadly, Sasuke, that ship has already sailed," she said loftily. "It's not like I could betray my boys anyways. If I were to find someone, there's no one to crawl into bed with when you finally get lonely enough to do it. I'm just looking out for you," she grinned at him. He only scoffed and scooted her closer.

"I believe my brother is going to drop by tomorrow, by the way," he said. She was getting tired, he could see it, and he was calming down as well.

"I'm surprised he wasn't here," she said honestly. "He stopped by the hospital and left me a snack." Sasuke only nodded. What was his brother playing at? He didn't really understand. He could never try to understand his brother, though.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" he asked lazily, finally relaxing against her warmth. It took a while, but he would relax against her eventually. It was what she liked most about Sasuke holding her. He took a while to relax, but when he did his embrace was heavenly. He was comfortable and knew the exact place to position himself.

"No," she answered softly, exhausted. "Tsunade doesn't make me come in if I was there for more than five hours on an emergency call." It had happened enough that it was a common occurrence. Sasuke nodded.

"Want to spar, one on one?"

"After our usual?"

"Yeah."

"Sure," she said, nodding along with her answer. He nodded too. He wasn't overly affectionate, like Shisui, who would stroke her hair or her back until she slept, but it was still a comfortable embrace. He tightened his hold on her. He liked to hold her tightly. It was a nice feeling. It made her feel safe. His grip often wouldn't slacken while he slept, either. "Hey, Sasuke?" she asked right before she fell asleep.

"Hm?"

"Thanks," she smiled, peeking at him over her shoulder. His eyes were closed, but he answered her smile with a light one of his own. "It's nice to know you care."

"I do, Sakura," he said quietly, ushering her to move back to her original position. "I just don't know how to tell you." She smiled. He wasn't usually that open. He would never say that to her if they hadn't been in the safety of her dark bedroom. She turned back and curled into a tight little ball, her hands held close to her chest. Sasuke moved accordingly, curving easily around her body. A hand was over hers and the other tight around her waist. She held his hand while she slept. She liked to. It had been a little odd for him at first, but he put up with it now. Anything to see her smile.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry this is late. I had a manic episode and then medication got doubled and I got really sleepy for a couple days there, but here it is now!**

 **Fun fact about me: I haven't changed my profile picture in 7 years. I just like it too much.**

* * *

Sakura roused herself from her nap and looked blearily around the room. She spotted a bowl next to her hand and she smiled to herself, picking it up. It had chicken parmesan and she dug right in, sighing happily. She hadn't eaten yet today and this was so good. She knew who had dropped it off. He was sitting in the corner, waiting for her to wake up.

"A way to a girl's heart isn't by stalking her, Uchiha," she sighed after she finished her small meal. "However, good food is, so you've got one thing right."

"I was not stalking, Sakura. I was merely waiting for you to wake."

"Like you have this entire week," she shot back playfully, tossing the Styrofoam bowl into the garbage. She turned to look at him. He was sitting comfortably in a chair, a book held off to the side, half closed as his eyes were focused on her.

"You haven't been eating. Would you prefer I stop coming by?" he raised a brow at her. Sakura flushed. She knew she hadn't been eating regularly, but had hoped no one else had noticed. Itachi had been stopping by the hospital during her lunch break the past couple weeks, though; he had noticed she would never eat anything. She had been working long hours at the hospital with a recent flu outbreak and quite simply didn't have time to eat or even sleep. She had just been taking cat naps in her office where Itachi would come and find her.

"I didn't say that," she said, pouting. "It's just a little unsettling sometimes. I wake up and you're there. You're always in my office lately."

"Tsunade suspended all missions outside of the village to contain the virus and to keep other sicknesses from coming in. I have little else to do," he answered loftily. Sakura shook her head.

"Don't you have paperwork?"

"There is a stalemate in the affairs of things." He sighed and pulled himself out of the chair. "You only need to say if you would like me to go."

"I don't want you to," she sighed. "Sorry if I made it seem that way. I'm just tired, I guess."

"You haven't gone home in a week and a half," he commented. "Naruto's been watching your dog." Why did she even have the dog if she wasn't around to take care of it half the time? He didn't understand it. Sakura stretched her arms over her head.

"What about it, Uchiha? I'm needed here. I know I'm tired, but I'll get sleep when this is over." She sighed and looked back to her desk. She was still so tired. She just wanted to sleep, but there were patients to check and vital signs to go over, medicines to administer. They had already lost quite a few villagers to this and she wasn't about to lose more.

"Come on," he grasped her hand and pulled her up. "Tsunade told me she wants you to rest a few days. She is here; nothing will go up in flames." Sakura glared at him, unwilling to move. She didn't want to go home. If she were to go home, she'd just be worried and wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. She would just want to come back here and go back to work.

"Sasuke and Naruto have tried this already, Uchiha, I'm not going." She has threatened to break a few of their bones if they tried to pick her up and carry her out by force, but she didn't think Itachi would cave so easily. He wasn't one to be intimidated by broken bones.

"I will pick you up." Her glare increased tenfold. He only sighed and lifted her easily into his arms. He went to the window, knowing she would be mortified if anyone saw them like this in the hallways. She wouldn't stop glaring at him as he ran along the rooftops.

"Where are you going?" she asked, noticing that they weren't headed to her apartment. He didn't answer and she was quickly becoming irritated. First he refused to leave her alone, now he had kidnapped her and didn't tell her where they were going. She was being let down a few minutes later, though, in a living room she didn't know. "Where are we?"

"My home." Itachi walked away from her. She followed him, an irritated twitch in her brow, and she found that he was going to a good sized bedroom in the back of the house. He was rifling through his dresser, holding something out to her a minute later. Stunned, she took the pajamas from him and could only stare at him.

"Why'd you bring me here?" she asked, unsure. She had never been in Itachi's house. It was foreign territory and she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"You wouldn't relax if you were at home. You think I do not know you, Sakura, but I assure you that I do." Sakura flushed and hugged the pajamas tightly to her chest. "Go and take a shower," he gestured to another door in the room. "There is a guest bathroom, but it is not equipped with what you would need."

"What are you going to do?" she asked, looking at anything that wasn't him.

"I will make some dinner. You slept longer at your desk than you thought. It is well past seven now." Sakura could feel the flush grow hotter on her face. She didn't know she had slept that long. Then irritation forced through to the forefront of her mind.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier?" she asked.

"I had other things to take care of. I did not think you would sleep that long." Sakura could only nod. "Now go shower." Sakura nodded again and immediately went to the bathroom. He left the room shortly after and began cooking in the kitchen. He decided on pasta, knowing she was more likely to eat that. She really liked spaghetti. He didn't have any beef, though, so she was going to have to deal with vegetables.

He was just beginning to sauté the vegetables when she walked in, rubbing her short hair with a towel. He had to pause for a moment. He had never seen her in any other pajamas than hers: a form fitting tank top and loose fitting bottoms. It surprised him to see her in clothes that dwarfed her form and made her have to shuffle across the floor. It took him a moment to find a word to describe what she looked like right now. Cute. She looked cute. He had never thought a girl looked cute before.

"What?" she asked, stopping. She flushed at his stare. He was looking at her differently than he had before and it was quite off-putting. "Please stop," she muttered. She couldn't get irritated with him, that wouldn't get her anywhere. She had learned that these past couple weeks when she had fought with him a couple times. Their disagreements heightened on her part and she had broken a few bones, but he didn't care. He didn't even flinch.

"I was just surprised. I like seeing you like that," he said, turning back to the pan. He had never thought he would be so open with anyone, much less her, but he couldn't help it. These things just came forth around her and he couldn't keep silent.

"Oh." She didn't know what to say either, it seemed. She walked to him and watched him cook for a moment. "What are you making?" she asked after a moment.

"Veggie pasta," he answered. "I do not eat meat frequently, I apologize." Though he would often bring her chicken or beef for her meals, he did not make it a habit to eat it himself. He didn't like it, plain and simple.

"That's okay. I can't complain. You're cooking for me and I didn't even ask," she smiled, leaning on the counter next to him. He was becoming more and more distracted by her body beside him and it was starting to get to him. How did this happen? He had never noticed someone else like this, not even Shisui who was around him more often than not. He was like his shadow half the time.

"How big is this house, anyways?" she asked, looking around.

"It is a three bedroom. I do not need the space, but my parents would not give me a smaller house. I suppose it is helpful when Shisui or Sasuke spend the night." Sakura nodded. She supposed it was good for her. At least she knew she had a bed. "You are welcome to come back here after this. It is quite quiet here. It's on the edge of the compound."

"Thank you," she said softly, looking at the counter. No one had really offered that to her before, she was the one offering her place. She felt his hand on her back, stroking gently. He removed his hand after just a moment and she found she missed his touch. Itachi wasn't one to show much affection and sometimes she wanted a little of the quiet Uchiha.

"Here," he handed her a plate while she was stuck in her musings. "Dining table's through there," he nodded towards a door. She nodded and left the room after taking the fork he offered her. He grabbed his own plate and joined her at the table, noticing that she hadn't taken a bite yet. She didn't start eating until he did. She certainly had manners, he couldn't be upset.

"As always, Itachi, this is so good," she said between bites, giving him a glowing smile.

"Thank you," he said lightly. She never complained about his cooking. She always ate what he brought her at the hospital, even if she did yell at him for stalking her. Sakura was finished with her meal rather quickly, as she always was when he made it for her. He finished a couple minutes after her and collected their plates, walking back to the kitchen to wash them.

"Wait," she caught up with him at the sink. "Let me do it," she smiled. He turned an unfathomable gaze to her, but she only smiled. "You always wash my dishes; let me give you the same courtesy." He nodded, stepping to the side. She washed them quickly and he put them away, the shelves too high for her to reach comfortably.

"What would you like to do?" he asked as they stood there afterwards. She yawned.

"I just want to sleep, Weasel. That's all I want." She looked so tired, she really did. He nodded and gestured to follow him. He led her back to his room and she looked at him curiously. "Are you going to sleep with me, Weasel?"

"If I don't join you I am not sure you'll return to the hospital the moment I am asleep," he said. She flushed and looked away.

"You're too smart."

"You're too predictable." He hoisted her by the waist and tossed her in the bed. She giggled for a few minutes, face hidden in the pillows and more than slightly muffled by them.

"Weasel, I never thought you'd do that," she laughed. He only smirked and picked up his book he'd left on the nightstand the night before, climbing into bed with her. He settled back into the pillows and reached out for her, pulling her body to his. She smiled and planted her cheek on his chest, yawning widely. She really hadn't slept that much lately.

"Don't keep yourself up, Sakura, just go to sleep." Sakura could only smile. She had been trying to stay awake a little longer. It wasn't often she actually did spend time with Itachi and was thoroughly enjoying it now. She wrapped an arm around his waist and pushed herself as close to him as she could, getting herself comfortable.

Itachi couldn't focus until she finally stopped fidgeting and her breathing turned slow. It was interesting to watch her get comfortable. She practically molded her body to his, to where he couldn't quite tell where her body was and where his was. It was a nice feeling, though. He didn't mind. He moved his arm a little so it wouldn't fall asleep under her and finally managed to focus on his book.

He felt her shift a few hours later. She mumbled softly and slowly opened her hazy green eyes, smiling as she found him still so close to her. He couldn't help himself. He didn't realize what he was doing, but suddenly he was kissing her forehead. He had managed to keep himself from kissing her at least, he thought as he moved away from her, rewarded by a light blush and a glowing smile.

"Do you have a book?" she asked, voice still soft from sleep. He only reached over and pulled another book from the nightstand, one that he had already finished. She opened it, reading it sideways from his chest. He thought that was an odd way to read a book, but he couldn't say anything. He liked her where she was.

"Are you uncomfortable?" he couldn't help but ask a few minutes later.

"A little, but I don't want to move," she had a lilt to her voice in her amusement and he really liked it. When she was amused there was usually an edge to her voice, not a lilt. Perhaps she had different kinds of voices for different kinds of amusement? It was certainly an odd thought, but he thought it described her well. She had a wider array of emotions than most people did. It kept his interest piqued.

Itachi moved anyways. He turned on his side and she made an annoyed noise at being moved. She sighed and turned over, allowing him to wrap an arm around her and pull her against his chest. His TV was this way and he had just finished his book. He didn't think Sakura was going to stay awake long. He assumed she was only awake now because she often only got a few hours of sleep at a time and now her internal clock was all messed up. He turned on the TV and she squinted in the sudden glare, taking a few minutes to get used to it.

She was silent as she read, her head on his arm. She wasn't usually this silent and it bothered him. He liked listening to her voice and didn't like when she was silent for too long. He couldn't think of anything to get her to talk, though.

"Hey, Weasel," she said softly, a few minutes later. It gave him great relief and he could put his mind at rest for a moment. He didn't like trying to think of something to say.

"What?"

"Thanks, you know?" she smiled, unseen by him. "I'm pretty sure I'd be working myself to passing out if you hadn't forced me here."

"I guessed as such," he said, thinly veiled amusement in his voice. "That is why I brought you here." Sakura turned over again, leaving her book on the other side of the bed. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. It was a slightly uncomfortable hug, not one that he had ever had, but he managed to wrap his arms around her waist and return it.

"You're not as intimidating as I first thought you were, you know," she said when she pulled back. She rested her head on her hand and set her glowing eyes on him. He couldn't pull his eyes away from her in that moment.

"How do you mean?" he asked, not quite understanding. He didn't think he was an intimidating man unless he was trying to be and so didn't understand why she would say that. He thought she was intimidating the first time he'd interacted with her. She had thrown him on the ground and broke many a bone for fuck's sake; how more intimidating could it get?

"Well, I always thought of you as Sasuke's older brother. You were there, but you didn't seem approachable. You were always so strong and so quiet and I could never think of anything to say to you that I thought you would find interesting. I never thought I would be friends with you let alone in your bed," she laughed.

"Ah." He remembered the first time he'd seen her as a little scrap of a girl waiting for his brother on the front stoop. He hadn't thought much of her at the time, didn't even stop to say hello, just nodded at her as he went on his way. He had seen her several times since then, but his eyes had never been riveted to her as they were now, he had never wanted to be around her as much as he did now.

"I didn't try to get your attention you know," Sakura sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I didn't think much of you, to be honest. Sasuke used to go on and on about you when we were younger, so I knew you weren't all the village cracked you up to be."

"Oh?" he asked, interested once more.

"The way the village painted you, you'd think you were the one and only ninja that protected us. They painted you as a ruthless killer and someone who would do anything to complete a mission, but Sasuke told me a different story. He told me how you used to give him piggyback rides and poke his forehead all the time. He told me how you used to help him with his justsu and aiming."

"I always had a soft spot for Sasuke," he commented lightly. That soft spot had expanded to include her now too. "I am glad you didn't think me scary, then."

"Well, not scary, but still intimidating," she laughed. "You still seemed so unapproachable, especially to me."

"Why?"

"I was a little girl! You were this big, bad shinobi that had definitely earned his rank. How could I not be intimidated by you? Now I can go toe to toe with you and have a chance of winning," she said cheekily, looking at him to grin again. "Even if I don't win, I can still give you a run for your money."

"What, by playing tag with me on the battlefield?" They had sparred quite a few times now and she often led him on a wild goose chase before finding a position she could surprise him with. She darted around him, tried to confuse him, and he knew it was only with the help of his sharingan that he could actually track her movements and have a hope of stopping her before she got the upper hand.

"It's what works best for me. If I keep my opponent chasing after me, I don't have to worry about jutsu all that much. It's a good strategy if you depend on taijutsu like me." He supposed that was a good way to look at it. He knew from experience that it frustrated her opponent as well, making them more likely to make a mistake she could benefit from.

"That's quite a strategy." He knew she kept her eyes on all of the enemies at once from the battle they'd shared on their mission. She was very alert and very nimble, quick to stop an attack and dart away. He hadn't quite seen anything like it.

"Tsunade used to yell at me for it," she laughed. "She'd get so frustrated because she couldn't land a hit on me. Now she doesn't even want to try and spar. She says she knows she'll lose and she's just not in the mood for that anymore." Itachi smiled at her words and Sakura watched him for a long moment.

"Weasel, you smiled! The first real smile I've ever seen from you. Mark it down in the books!" she laughed and flopped on her back, grinning at the ceiling. "Never thought I'd see you smile, not in a million years."

"Why?"

"You're not the smiling type," she rolled over and looked at him. "You're more the 'silently amused type,' you know?" She sighed. "I'm much more the smiling type."

"I have noticed. Your emotions are easy to differentiate in your voice," he commented.

"It's always been that way. I haven't ever really wanted to change it." She smiled again. He liked watching her smile. Her eyes lit up and she looked like the little girl he had a vague picture of in his head. It made her seem innocent. Well, a lot of things made her seem innocent. Her wide eyes and glowing smile were just part of it. "What time is it?"

"Eleven."

"Aw, shit. I guess I slept any time away that I could have used to go out and do something," she huffed. "Ino isn't sick and she's been begging me to go out with her to the bar." What bar was open right now? Most of the civilians were either sick or cooped up indoors to keep from getting sick. The only people really out and about were shinobi. She giggled at his flustered look. "There are shinobi bars that are still open, dummy. Seriously, civilians hear flu's going around and they get scared immediately."

"You cannot blame them. They aren't hardened like we are. We are used to such things and have built up a tolerance to it." Sakura sighed. He was right. Itachi was always right and sometimes it pissed her off, but she had learned to deal with it for the most part.

"Oh, well, you have a chess set?" she grinned.

He shook his head and pulled himself out of bed, instantly missing the physical contact. He pulled a box out of his closet and handed it to her. She immediately began setting it up on the bed and he sat across from her, waiting patiently for her to finish. She gave him the first move.

They just sat there playing chess until the early hours of the morning. Sakura won the last game and when she did, she let herself fall into the pillows and giggled while she stared at the ceiling. Itachi only began putting away the pieces, not minding that she didn't want to play again. How she could be so interested in chess for so long, he would never know. She stretched her arms above her head and watched him put the box back in his closet. He sat back down next to her, turning his attention to her. He wondered why her eyes followed him.

"Weasel, were you serious when you said you'd go through with an arranged marriage?" she asked, curiosity clear in her eyes. He tilted his head at her, wondering why she was asking him this. He had not said it for her to ask him, had merely stated it as a fact. Could she not tell he was serious?

"I do not have much of a choice, Sakura. My father is pushing me to take a wife. I cannot put him off forever." Sakura sighed. "Why does it matter that much to you?"

"I don't know. I guess I feel like you deserve some love, Weasel," she turned onto her stomach and laid her head on her crossed arms. "I'd kind of feel bad if you ended up in a loveless marriage," she sighed. She didn't think they would continue being friends when he wed some woman from his clan, either. It was saddening to think about.

"Perhaps." He stared at the ceiling while she still stared at her. "There is no way I will meet a woman organically. I do not have the words to say to keep such a woman's interest. I have my features, but that only gets me so far." Sakura huffed.

"Surely there's something you can do, Weasel."

"Sakura, this isn't your concern, you know," Itachi said quietly, voice barely constrained. She was starting to get to him and it was starting to annoy him. This wasn't her concern, not at all, and he wondered why she was trying to make it hers. He didn't want her to think he was angry with her, though, and so kept his voice as even as possible.

"I know. I just worry about you just like you worry about me," she said softly. She shifted closer to him and pressed her cheek against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, his eyes closing briefly.

"I worry about your wellbeing whereas you worry about my love life. I would ask you not to, but I know that it is fruitless." Sakura flushed and looked away from his face for the first time in thirty minutes. "It is simply what happens in life. When I marry, Sasuke will be in the spotlight then and he will be expected to find a wife as well. Where do you think he will find love?"

"Sasuke can find someone," she laughed. "He's really sweet after you fight past the layers of ice block, indifference, and overprotective shit. He's getting better with showing his nice side, though, so some girl is bound to notice him."

"I have not noticed such changes in my little brother recently," Itachi commented, glad he could get her talking about something other than his love life.

"It's happened gradually, Weasel. He used to be pretty harsh and cold, but he got nicer over time. He learned how to open up to me and Naruto, so it's not a big step to open up to someone else. It's just getting them to interact first," she laughed.

"It will seem like a big step for him. You are easy to talk to." She was. She could get pretty much anything out of him just by asking. He wasn't afraid to say things to her and he often found he could speak his mind around her. He had assumed it was just the way people reacted to her.

"Well thank you Weasel," she smiled at him. She yawned widely and pressed her nose into his shoulder. "I'm sleepy again," she whined. She didn't want to be sleepy. She enjoyed talking to him and didn't want this night to end.

"You should sleep." Sakura whined again. "What?" She was acting a little childish and, instead of being annoyed by it though. He actually thought it a little cute.

"I don't want to sleep. I want to keep talking to you," she was still whining. She set her eyes on his face again and she pouted. There was a clearly amused look in his eyes. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not."

"You are on the inside," there was still a pout in her voice. He thought she was being quite adorable in this moment and couldn't help the small smile that slid on his face. He really couldn't. He had never seen this side of Sakura and didn't understand why he couldn't have seen it sooner. She was so adorable and she probably didn't even know it.

"I suppose you are correct," he turned onto his side, facing her. "You should sleep. Tsunade has instructed me to keep you from the hospital for a few days. You have more than enough time to continue talking to me." Sakura flushed.

"Why'd she make you keep me from the hospital?" she asked, looking away from him.

"She knew you could not deny me," he answered easily. "I do not bow to your brash personality and violent tendencies the way others do. That is why she chose me." Well, Tsunade was certainly right. Sakura couldn't do anything to him, not really. He had a high pain tolerance and a lot of patience to go with it.

"I should up my ante, huh?" she shook her head.

"I suppose that's one choice," he said, closing his eyes. He was relaxing now. "You should sleep. I'm tired too," he sighed. He hadn't been too tired until now. It was around two in the morning now and that was about the time he would become exhausted.

"Alright, alright," she sighed. She turned over in his hold and he pulled her tightly to him. He wondered how long this would last. How long would she allow him to hold her? He didn't know. He knew he had been about to kiss her earlier and wanted badly to do as such. He didn't know how she would react, though, and so put that idea on a backburner in his head. He didn't like that he had to wait and think about kissing her. This should be easy. Why wasn't this easy?

He felt Sakura's breathing turn slow and he tightened his arms around her. He found he didn't want to let her go. He didn't understand these feelings, he had never had them before, but he didn't care. He just didn't want to let her go.

* * *

"Stop moving. I'm comfortable."

Sakura couldn't help but giggle as she fell back into Itachi's embrace. She had been trying to struggle out of his ironclad grip, but he had woken and obviously stopped her. He grunted and pulled her back into her original position, his nose buried in her hair.

"I want to get up, Weasel. I'm hungry," she began struggling again, but he just grunted and tightened his hold yet again. "Why do you have to be so annoying in the morning?" she asked sharply, though her tone was still playful. She wasn't angry, not yet.

"Perhaps I am not a morning person?" he asked, nuzzling her neck. She inhaled sharply, her body freezing. Why'd he do that? She wasn't used to affection from Itachi, hadn't spent much time around him to get it. Was this normal for him? She didn't know. He was so wonderfully warm and comfortable, though; she hardly wanted to get up either.

"Weasel, would you please mind letting me go?" she managed to twist in his arms to look at him, slightly stunned with how close he was. She lost her breath and her words for a long moment; she could only stare up at him, waiting for him to speak.

"I don't wish to let you go. I like you where you are," he said quietly, meeting her eyes. She flushed while his eyes were on hers and she didn't know why. Why was he affecting her like this? She couldn't figure out why. She didn't know how he could make her blush by just staring at her and being so close. This wasn't new, so why the reaction?

"But I'm hungry," her voice was too soft. Why was her voice so soft? She had meant to whine at him, have an edge in her voice, something other than the soft and meek tone that had escaped her. How the hell did he have this effect on her when she didn't even think of him romantically? Her mind was doing weird things to her, she concluded.

"Alright," Itachi finally released her and she could finally breathe. She sat up, but he was standing before she could get off the bed. "What would you like?" she flushed and was speechless again.

"I was going to find something," she finally said, looking away. "You don't have to get up."

"I am merely returning the courtesy. You made me breakfast and brought it to me the last time we were together. I can do the same." Itachi was throwing her words from the night before right back at her and she couldn't say no to him at this point. This man was just too good at arguments.

"Eggs and toast," she muttered, falling back into the soft bed. Itachi only smirked at her and walked out of the bedroom. He was back only ten minutes later, a hand on her shoulder. She slowly pulled herself up and sat against his pillows, taking the plate he handed to her. He sat beside her and dug into his own plate.

"What would you like to do today?" he asked. He didn't know what to do with her; he rarely had guests. Sakura just shrugged.

"Usually on my days off I just curl up in bed and read all day honestly," she shrugged. "I'm not a very exciting person, huh?"

"Naruto and my kin should be around if you'd like to spend some time with them," he offered. He knew she hadn't been keeping up with her friends lately and they were worried about her, but she was far too irritated lately to be able to spend time with. He had been surprised when she didn't snap at him like she would the others.

"I don't want to," she sighed. "They're always so loud and I want some peace and quiet for now. All I've been hearing for the past two weeks straight are people yelling about emergencies and beeping machines and patients groaning. I'm about to go crazy if I have to deal with Naruto's yelling, Sasuke's bickering with him, and Shisui's incessant talking."

"They will be in my house. They know not to make a scene," Itachi stated darkly. Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"What did you say to them to make that happen?" she asked, entertained now. She wanted to hear the story. Even with her threats and vicious temper, she still hadn't managed something of that caliber. She had given up eventually.

"Each of them has attempted to wake me at some point in their lives, Shisui and Sasuke more than Naruto, and they had almost lost their lives." Sakura burst out into laughter.

"You really are intimidating as hell!" She couldn't stop giggling. Itachi had never been anything but calm and generally nice around her. She couldn't imagine him with a murderous aura, at least not directed at her. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten that angry with me. I've woken you up a couple times."

"You have not woken me in a manor to induce anger." Sakura looked away from him at his words, a warm glow in her chest. She didn't know she was special enough to dodge his anger at waking him. She didn't really have a choice, though. She needed to eat and use the bathroom and he really hated letting her go. It was kind of sweet in a way as well as annoying.

"Well, that's nice to know," she finally said softly. He only nodded. "Well, in that case, sure. Would you let me cook today or are you still pushing me out of the kitchen?" She had a smile on her face and an edge to her voice. Apparently she was feeling better now and that weird feeling had gone away.

"If you would like to, you are more than allowed to. I suppose I should go to the store though." The civilians were all hiding in their homes at the moment, the only place to buy food was the general store lately. They bought stock from the market stalls when things like this happened. It was the only way to keep good circulating.

"This whole thing should be over soon," Sakura said, stretching. "At least it didn't happen in the middle of winter. The village would have been worse off."

"How did a flu outbreak happen in the middle of fall?" Itachi was confused. He didn't know how that could happen. He associated the flu with winter.

"One person got it and then it spread," she shrugged. "People haven't gotten their vaccinations yet because they thought they were safe. I don't have many shinobi in the hospital, it's mostly dumbass civilians. Tsunade just doesn't want anything worse to come back with a shinobi or spread this further. It's just annoying to deal with."

"Has anyone died?"

"Yeah," she looked sad now. "We lost a few little kids because they weren't strong enough for it and we lost a couple older people. They aren't strong enough to fight things like that." Though common, the flu wasn't something that people with weak immune systems could survive. She hated that they couldn't have just prepared and protected themselves.

"Ah. I'm sorry. I know it distresses you." He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug, though thought it slightly awkward. She was still smiling when he pulled away, though. Apparently it'd been good enough.

"You make me feel better." She sighed and looked around. "So, are you going to go and get the idiots?"

"I suppose. I need a shower, though." He stood and went to his dresser. "If you would like to take one, you are more than allowed to."

"I already did last night and I don't have any clothes here except what I was wearing yesterday. I don't feel like going all the way home just to come back, so I'm fine." She fell back onto the bed and reached for the book she had abandoned the night before. It'd been a good book, but she had found it couldn't hold her interest for very long.

Itachi went to shower, making sure she didn't need anything first. She just waved him off, saying she could find whatever she needed. She was surprised that it only took him about five minutes to shower, especially with all that hair. There was a quiet goodbye and then she was alone. She hated being alone lately. She would rather be at the hospital than be alone, but she wouldn't be alone long. He would come back, at least, so she had that.

Shisui came along first at least.

"Hello? Is there a Sakura here or did Itachi lie to me?" Sakura sighed. Apparently without Itachi around, she would be subjected to their usual behavior.

"In here," she called.

"Wow, Itachi let you sleep in his bed? I am very surprised," Shisui said as he came through the door. He sat on the end of the bed and watched her sit up and stretch.

"Why is that surprising?" she asked. She didn't think it was too surprising, but then again, this was life. This happened all the time.

"Itachi wakes up with the drop of a dime," he said, shrugging. "I'm surprised he hasn't taken your head off with how much you fidget in your sleep," he grinned at her and recoiled when she smacked him. "Hey! That wasn't mean! I was just stating facts."

"I don't fidget when I sleep," she retorted, "I move when I wake up. And he doesn't wake up unless I try to get out of bed. He doesn't let me get out of bed!"

"Oh?" This was certainly interesting. Shisui had never heard of his cousin showing interest in any girl, but he was sure this is what it would look like. The silent man would never say or show it outright, but that definitely was a little odd for him. He wondered.

"Yeah, Itachi is kind of annoying in that respect, but only that. He's not nearly as annoying as any of you," she smirked when he whipped his head around at her.

"Don't be rude."

"I'm not being rude, I'm merely stating the facts," she threw it right back at him. He was slightly stunned and began laughing.

"You are a little spitfire, you know?" he said, pulling her in for a hug. "I missed you too, what's up with that?" he released her. He wasn't about to hold her, not with knowing how Itachi would react. He was probably already feeling a little possessive of her, though wouldn't show it outright in fear of her anger, but Shisui would definitely still receive a glare.

"I thought I heard voices. What are you doing in Itachi's bedroom?" Naruto was in the room now. Apparently Itachi had just sent them instead of letting them follow him around. Sakura wanted to laugh. Itachi definitely didn't have the patience to deal with them alone for that long.

"What do you think?" she asked sharply, falling back on the bed. "I slept here last night, dipshit." If Naruto was about to freak out, she was about to make some heads roll. She wasn't going to regret breaking a few walls, either.

"Oh." Naruto's brain was going into overdrive, she could see it. She could pretty much see him thinking the worst and she just had to get up and smack him over the head to stop it. "Jesus Christ, Sakura, what the hell was that for?" he held his head and glared at her.

"Nothing's going on, dipshit," she said, stretching her arms over her head. This was the first time she had properly gotten out of bed. Sad that it was because she wanted to hit him over the head. "Tsunade asked Itachi to get me out of the hospital for a couple days."

"She tried asking me and Sasuke to do it, but we told her you might destroy half the hospital," Naruto laughed nervously.

"You're not wrong," she sighed and hopped back on the bed next to Shisui. "I gave up on fighting with Itachi. The whole no reaction thing kind of kills it for me. He didn't even flinch when I broke his arm last week because he wouldn't get out of my way."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"He said I needed to eat something before going back to work and I got a little violent," she sighed. "I shoved him aside and hurt him a little more than I thought, but he didn't even flinch. He didn't even tell me about it until I finished eating."

"That's Itachi," Shisui shrugged. "He isn't exactly someone you can push around. You're going to have to fight him with intellect rather than brute force."

"I figured that out," she sighed. "I don't mind it, though. He can be enjoyable to be around."

"That's something I never thought I'd hear," Shisui laughed.

"Yeah, Sakura, how can you like him?" Naruto wrinkled his nose, "He's scary and I was terrified when he turned up at my apartment. How can you spend so much time with him." Sakura looked about to murder when she looked at him. He took a step back, hands held up in surrender. "I didn't mean anything bad, Sak."

"Sure you didn't," she scoffed. "What does it matter to you, Naruto? You're still my friend, nothing is still happening, and Itachi plays chess with me in the middle of the night. He doesn't lose to me as easily as you do."

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, pointing at her, "I take that as a serious offense!"

"Will you shut up?" she growled, pushing her fingers into her temples. A headache was quickly coming on and she didn't feel like dealing with it.

"Naruto, you know what I said in condition with seeing Sakura," Itachi's voice was down the hallway and Sakura sighed in relief, leaving the room quickly. She couldn't be around them alone anymore.

"Itachi!" She found him rather easily. He was just putting away food in the kitchen, Sasuke behind him. She had wondered why Sasuke hadn't shown up; he must have gone with him.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" he asked, turning his calm eyes to her.

"They're giving me a headache," she sighed, leaning on the counter. Itachi raised a brow to the other two that were just coming around the corner. Shisui shook his head, nodding to Naruto.

"Do I need to remind you, Naruto, of the last time you were obnoxious in my home?" Itachi asked, raising a brow. Naruto's face dropped in half a second and raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay," he said quickly. "I'm sorry, I'll calm down." Itachi stared at him for a moment longer before turning back to the counter. Sakura couldn't contain her smile, though managed to keep her laughter to herself. Itachi really was intimidating.

"So, what am I cooking?" Sakura asked, standing up straight. She got a challenging look from Itachi. Apparently he was trying to go against his word and keep her out of the kitchen. She only fixed him with one of her own. He sighed.

"I bought chicken. Do with it what you will." He was going to help her, he didn't care. He didn't like that she wasn't just relaxing right now. She was a guest in his house; she should be sitting down and doing what she liked. Perhaps she liked to cook, then? He didn't know. He was thankful he had a large kitchen that could comfortably hold all his guests. They pulled out chairs and sat about, talking while Sakura began cooking.

"Sakura, how's are things going at the hospital?" Sasuke asked. He hadn't had a chance to yet.

"Well, everyone's complaining about being sick. Everyone's throwing up and they're all dehydrated and annoying the hell out of me," she sighed, chopping her onion a little too hard. "A few shinobi have been affected, I hope you guys got your vaccination this year. I'll literally murder each and every one of you if you didn't."

"Sakura, you know we have to so we can go on missions," Shisui said, laughing. "I don't even know why we can't take missions right now, we should be fine."

"Tsunade's just taking precautions," Sakura shrugged. "It'll be over soon. They're starting to get better. The bulk of the affected should be over it in about three days. I would think the ban will be lifted by the end of the week."

"Awesome!" Naruto looked incredibly happy, though received a glare from Itachi for his loud manner. "Sorry, I just can't wait to take a mission after this is over. I don't like being cooped up all the time."

"We know, Naruto," Sakura said flatly. She turned and added the onions to a pan. "Can't you expend some energy with Sasuke?" They should still be sparring every morning; she couldn't understand how he could still be so lively.

"Naruto would want to spar all day. I do not have that much energy," Sasuke said, leaning back in his chair.

"There are other people to spar with, Naruto," Sakura reminded him.

"No one wants to spar with me except for you two," he whined. "I don't like anyone as much as I like you guys, either."

"There's your girlfriend. She might like to spar with you once in a while." Sakura found herself doing this more often than not. Naruto seemed to forget that his girlfriend was a shinobi and could put up a pretty decent fight against him. Naruto looked rather sheepish and he grinned, scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, you're right Sak. I guess I forget that she can actually fight sometimes," Naruto laughed nervously, "She's just so sweet, you wouldn't guess, you know?"

"She can still seriously maim you if she wants." Not that she would. Hinata really was sweet and had far more patience than Sakura did. How else would she be able to deal with Naruto day in and day out for the past year and half?

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he sighed. It was uncomfortable being in Itachi's house. He didn't feel like he could breathe half the time because he couldn't get his usual energy out. Sasuke was harder to annoy and Shisui never really bickered with him, so it was a little boring. Naruto seemed about to bounce off his chair at this point.

"What are you making?" Shisui asked now, bothered by the silence. Naruto was starting to annoy him. Why couldn't the kid just sit still?

"I don't know. Chicken and veggies I guess," she shrugged. Half the time she didn't plan what she cooked, she just kind of went with it. Shisui nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go and steal Itachi's TV because I'm bored," he laughed and got up, wandering towards the living room. Naruto bounded after him, intent on focusing his attention elsewhere. If Shisui put something on that had a little action in it, Naruto would be happy. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief after Naruto left.

"He's just so much energy," she said, rubbing her temples again. Itachi was slightly worried that he had worsened her mood by bringing her friends by. She only shook her head and smiled. "It's nice to see him, it's just annoying.

"That's Naruto, Sakura," Sasuke stated flatly. "He's annoying as hell, but he's a good friend. Just deal with it." This was usual from Sasuke. He would remind her that it wasn't really that bad, though Sakura could still be annoyed.

"Yeah, I know." She sounded rather defeated at this point. It was silent now, Sasuke and Itachi just watching her cook. She liked it when it was quiet like this, didn't mind it in the least. Sasuke was more along the lines of wanting to just be in her presence, so it wasn't that bad. He was much like Itachi in that regard.

She tossed the chicken in the oven and sat in one of the abandoned chairs. Itachi didn't move. He was leaning, arms crossed, against the wall. She leaned her head against the wall, head throbbing. She really didn't feel too hot. Maybe she was hungry? She couldn't tell. She just knew her head hurt and she didn't want to think.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke was in front of her now, checking her over. "What's wrong? He was an observant person that much was true. Sakura just sighed.

"My head just hurts. Don't worry, okay?" She smiled at him and gestured back to his chair. He sat back down, watching her. He was worried about her now and she rather hated when that happened. Sasuke was relatively overbearing normally, he got obnoxious when he was worried. She flinched when the timer went off for the oven. Itachi pulled it out for her, thinking it smelled good. "Put the potatoes in please?" she asked, eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the wall.

"Would you like to lie down?" Itachi asked after he did as she asked.

"No, I'll be fine," she smiled thinly. Her head really hurt. She didn't want to leave, though. She kind of missed her friends, even if she was particularly irritable today. She just hoped she could deal with it until they all left. Something warm was pushed into her hands and she opened her eyes, looking down. Itachi had shoved a cup of tea into her hands, giving her a calm stare. "Thanks," she sipped it slowly.

"How goes the paperwork, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, trying to get his attention off Sakura. His stare could be pretty uncomfortable if someone was caught under it for too long, he knew that only too well.

"There is little for me to do right now."

"Which is why he's been stalking me for the past week and a half," Sakura butted in sourly. Her eyes were open again and glaring at Itachi. Sasuke raised a brow to his brother, silently asking him what the fuck he was doing.

"I was not stalking, Sakura," Itachi sounded rather annoyed to him, but Sakura didn't seem to think anything was different. It was hard to find Itachi's emotions underneath his usual monotone, calm voice, but Sasuke had a lot of experience in that area. "I already explained to you that I was making sure you ate." Sasuke's question was answered. Sakura often wouldn't eat if she was caught up in the hospital and Sasuke and Naruto could rarely approach her without being put through a wall.

"Yeah I know," she sighed. She closed her eyes again and leaned her head back on the wall, raising her mug to her lips for another sip. She seemed quite set on staying around her friends, but they could see she probably should just go to bed in a dark, quiet room.

The oven beeped again and she flinched again. Her headache wasn't getting better, just worse with all the noise. She just sipped her tea while Itachi pulled it out of the oven. "Was that all, Sakura?" she only nodded. Sasuke pulled himself out of his seat and went to help Itachi serve the food.

"Come on, Sakura," he stood in front of her and nodded his head towards the dining room. She nodded, pulling herself up. She had to steady herself on the wall for a quick moment before she could follow him to the table. Sasuke was still worried about her, but pushed it down. He didn't want her yelling about his 'overprotective brother shit' again.

The others joined them not long after and began eating, complimenting Sakura on her cooking. Shisui didn't say much, noticing the pained look in Sakura's eyes, but Naruto wouldn't stop talking. He was going on and on about how he was going through ramen withdrawal because Ichiraku was closed right now and instant ramen just wasn't cutting it.

"Naruto," Sakura said lowly, staring at the table five minutes into his torturous babble. "My head is killing me and your endless talk about ramen is seriously starting to murder the neurons in my brain." Naruto didn't understand a word of that, but managed to get the gist: shut the hell up.

"Alright, sorry," he flushed and looked at his food. Sakura closed her eyes, Itachi noticing that she really hadn't eaten much off her plate. The light seemed to be bothering her now. Well, at this point he was forcing her into bed after they finished eating and she'd just have to deal with it. He knew she was tenacious and didn't want to let a little headache from enjoying time with her friends, but she really seemed to be hurting. Lunch was finished in relative silence.

Sakura didn't seem to notice when everyone was getting up, taking their plates to the sink. "Come on, Sakura," Itachi was in front of her and she opened her eyes slowly, staring up at him blearily. "You're going to bed. It would not be good if you became sick because of a bad headache." She sighed, nodding. She began to stand, her head thrown into a mess when she did, and she held the wall. Where the hell did this headache come from anyways?

He grasped her arm and led her back to his room, setting her into bed. He kept the lights off and set her book near her in case she wanted to read it. She just curled into a tight little ball and shut her eyes tightly. "Would you like aspirin?" he asked, wondering just how bad her head really hurt. She nodded slowly. He went to the bathroom and grabbed it for her along with a glass of water. She took the medicine gratefully, though just laid back down afterwards.

Itachi walked back to the living room, finding the rest of his guests there. They were standing near the door, obviously ready to leave.

"We know that Sak's not feeling well, so we're going to head out. Maybe she'll feel good enough to join us for our spar tomorrow," Naruto said with a smile. Sasuke and Shisui had to explain to him that Sakura wasn't feeling good and he felt a little bad that he hadn't noticed before. Naruto wasn't known for his great powers of observation.

"Alright," Itachi nodded. He watched them leave before going to the kitchen. There wasn't anything to clean up; perhaps Sasuke had made the other two help him so he didn't have to do anything. Itachi was thankful, at least, and went to turn off the lights before going back to his room. Sakura was still curled into a little ball, but she smiled when he was before her.

"Did they leave?" the house had gotten quiet again, so she guessed that they had.

"Yes. They didn't want to bother you anymore when you weren't feeling well."

"I'm feeling better. Thanks for the aspirin. I just don't even know where that headache came from," she sighed. She yawned and stretched. She wasn't particularly tired, but her head did feel a little better. It didn't feel like every sound was banging around in her head anymore and she was quite thankful.

"Perhaps it was Naruto," Itachi said, sitting next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed down her back. She seemed to enjoy the attention; she had another smile on her face.

"Maybe it was," she sighed. "I honestly wouldn't doubt it. He's pretty annoying, huh?"

"I agree. There must be a reason you have been friends with him for so long, though," he stated, still rubbing her back.

"Of course. He's a great friend, just annoying when he's got too much energy. That's why I make him walk Tori all the time. It tires both of them out."

"Why do you own Tori?" he asked, suddenly remembering he meant to. She looked a little sad now, staring at the blankets instead of him. She shifted a little, her hand shooting out to pull him down next to her. He was confused, but didn't resist, merely wrapped his arms around her and drew her close. He waited for her answer, not quite knowing if she would or not.

"Tori was my parents' dog. I couldn't give her up." Itachi was slightly confused. What happened to her parents? She had never told him and quite acted now like she had.

"What happened to your parents that made you take her?" he asked. She shook her head and he thought that meant she wasn't going to answer. She let out a shaky side.

"Always with the hard questions, Weasel," there was a thin layer of amusement over her small voice. "They died, couldn't you deduce that? I thought you were smart."

"I do not assume things I do not know anything about." She had not said a word about her parents, how would he know if they were dead? She could just be estranged from them. This was the first time she really opened up to him, he realized. He had done it several times, but she didn't often talk much about herself.

"I guess that stops you from hurting peoples' feelings," she said. She turned to him and smiled her hands on his chest. "You're kind of sweet, you know?" He only watched her with an unreadable stare. "I mean, not outright, but you say things that are kind of nice." She was still smiling, waiting for him to talk.

He didn't know what to say, though. He had never gotten a compliment as such and it confused him just slightly. What was he supposed to say to that? He needed to think of something quickly, though, he couldn't keep her waiting forever. "I thank you for your compliment, but I do not think that is correct. I am not a sweet person." That was her. She was the sweet one.

"Sure you are," she smiled. She leaned towards him and kissed his cheek.

She shouldn't have done that. She really shouldn't have. Now he was looking at her a little differently and there seemed to be nothing to stop him from kissing her. He wanted to. He knew he wanted to, but he still didn't know how she would react. He couldn't seem to help himself as he sunk his fingers in her hair and pulled her mouth to his.

She seemed to melt into his embrace and his kiss; she even kissed back at first, her fingers tight in his shirt. She was pushing him away in the next moment, though, looking rather angry and kind of…scared? Why did she look scared? He didn't understand that or the fact that she'd pushed him away. The way she'd been reacting she didn't mind his kiss.

She was out of the bed quickly, picking up her clothes. "I can't do this, Itachi. I can't." She fled from him then. He only watched her go, not really having the presence of mind to stop her. He turned over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. That certainly was an odd reaction to being kissed. He'd have to ask Shisui. He felt slightly rejected, but he'd been chasing her for a week and a half, worrying about her constantly, why stop now? He could be stubborn too.


	5. Chapter 5

**Shorter than normal, but hope it isn't confusing. My focus is shorting out.**

* * *

"You kissed her?! Did she hit you?" Shisui had met Itachi on the edge of a training ground where a creek ran straight through. They sat on different branches and Itachi just stared quietly into the water.

"I did. She did not. She pushed away from me and left. I do not know why," Itachi stated. He had already said this once and didn't enjoy having to say it again. Apparently it had been a surprising piece of information for his cousin and he couldn't get it the first time.

"Jesus, Itachi. I guess I should have given you a warning, but I thought you wouldn't go and kiss her. You're Itachi for fuck's sake! I have never seen you show interest in a girl before," Shisui shook his head, staring at the water for a long moment. He was taking a long time to process this and didn't really know how to. How the fuck did Itachi end up kissing her anyway?

"I have not had interest in a girl before. She will not talk to me now," Shisui could hear the slightest amount of distress in Itachi's voice. "I leave food for her on her desk and she eats it, therefore I do not think she is too angry with me. However, we have an ANBU mission together and it could be problematic if she refuses to speak to me."

"Look, Itachi," Shisui sighed. "It's easy to love Sakura, but it's hard to get her to love you. Well, not really. She loves really easily. It's hard to get her to admit it and start dating." Shisui had tried, valiantly, to get her attention, but he just wasn't up to the task. She blatantly ignored his advances and he didn't really know why, just gave up after a while and started treating her like a little sister. It was easier that way.

"What do you suggest I do, cousin?"

"I don't know. Something will come to you, probably on that mission. When Sakura's angry like that I know she'll piss you off sooner or later. You'll snap and speak your mind for once. When it comes to Sakura it's best to be forceful and rather violent."

"That is quite ironic."

"Very much so. When does that mission start?" Shisui sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk.

"Tomorrow." Itachi sounded rather glum. "It is a three day long mission. We are just going to procure an individual for interrogation."

"Sounds pretty easy."

"It is, I am just not very sure how Sakura will deal with being alone with me for the better part of a week." Itachi was worrying for a good reason. Sakura was a spitfire and rather easy to rile up when she was angry with a person already. Shisui had even gotten snapped at in the past week because of Itachi and he wasn't too happy about it.

"Well, you better do something. She's getting really hard to be around, Itachi. It's been annoying and the only one brave enough to go near her right now is Naruto. She snaps at anything to do with Uchiha lately." Shisui stretched his arms above his head, wanting to jump down and go. He had his own mission he still had to pack for. They were leaving in the evening, though, so he had a little more time.

"I will try my best," Itachi said.

"Good enough. Alright, I'm off. I have to pack for an A rank." Shisui hopped up and gave a short wave before jumping from the tree branch and heading towards his apartment. Itachi didn't leave just yet, enjoying the serenity of the place.

He really didn't know what to do. Sakura hadn't spoken to him since that night and he hadn't really tried to get her to, either. He had kept bringing her lunch and sat in the corner. Though she grudgingly ate it, probably just so she wouldn't have to fight him, she had blatantly ignored him and just walked out the door when she was finished. She wouldn't answer the door and would pretend he wasn't there on the street.

It was becoming quite annoying, her behavior. He thought she was acting like a child, but had realized she was only about twenty. She might not be completely mature yet and realize she needed to talk about things. He thought they'd been getting along fine before she just started ignoring him. He would really like an explanation for her actions.

Sighing, he picked himself up. He was going to bring her lunch again. Though she was ignoring him and acting like a child, he still worried about her. He hoped she would be getting sleep before the mission tomorrow.

She was cat napping on her desk again when he stopped by. He set her lunch in front of her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She woke easily enough, rubbing her eyes and looking blearily up at him.

"Do you know we have a mission tomorrow?" he asked, wondering if she would answer or not.

"You know, I just totally forgot with all the paperwork I've been doing," she answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I do know. Yes, I know I have to go home. Please stop trying to be a parent." Wow, she was being quite mean today. She made to get up, but he placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"Eat."

"Leave me alone, Uchiha," she spat. She didn't try to insult him and didn't try to threaten him. Neither would work. He was always too calm and patient. She couldn't do anything against his endless patience.

"Eat, or I will force you to." Sakura sighed and pulled the Styrofoam bowl towards her. She began eating and finished rather quickly. Itachi thought that meant she was quite hungry. She tossed the bowl in the garbage and set a venomous eye on him.

"There, I've eaten. Can I please get back to work now?"

"Do not be late." He was gone then, his feathers rather ruffled by her attitude. He didn't understand why she had such an attitude. He had only kissed her. He didn't think that warranted such a reaction or an attitude. He sighed and went to head home instead of staying out and about. He didn't have anything else to do. He supposed he could just catch up on his paperwork so it wasn't waiting for him after the mission.

She wasn't late, which was a relief. She was definitely tired, though, and the glare she sent him told him not to say a word. He hadn't been thinking about doing so, only handed her the file. She looked over it quickly and placed it back on the table. Their mark wasn't well inclined on the shinobi side of things, mostly hired lackeys to guard him. They were going to take him in for questioning because he had allegedly hired men to attack Konoha.

They set off silently and it was still pissing him off. He didn't like it when she was quiet and would even settle for her snark. She was pushing herself though he kept up with her easily. Apparently she was just trying to get this mission over as quickly as possible. Was his presence really that terrible?

They didn't stop until nightfall and Sakura holed herself up on a tree branch. She didn't pull out a blanket or rearrange her pack, so he figured she was taking first watch, as she usually did. He refused the urge to sigh and leaned back on his own tree branch, closing his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for Sakura right now. She was pissing him off and sleep would be a good escape.

He woke from a rather annoying nightmare. Sakura was shaking him, her glare staring holes through him. She let his shoulders go the moment he woke and fell back on the tree limb.

"The fuck was that?" she asked, leaning on her pack. He had been fidgeting and making soft noises in his sleep and she wasn't about to let someone notice them because of that. She hadn't noticed his violent sleeping before and wondered if it was because he slept alone.

"Nothing."

"Fine, then," she said sharply. "It's been four hours anyways. I'm sleeping." She pulled out her blanket now and curled up underneath it.

Should he have answered her question? She seemed to have forgiven him, just slightly, before he had refused to tell her. He sighed now, knowing she was asleep and allowing himself the pleasure. He was navigating this in the wrong way. He could have managed to get her anger to soften, just a little, by opening himself up to her and answering her question. The opportunity was passed, though, and he was quite annoyed with himself.

She didn't need his help waking. She was up right when she was supposed to be, folding her blanket and tucking it back into her pack. She pulled out a couple apples and handed him one. The sharp look in her eyes told him she was still angry with him, but the offering was that of peace. He would still have to tiptoe around her though; it was quite annoying.

She followed him through the trees. They would reach the mark's hideout by evening, but they needed to scout it out and prepare for what was about to happen. Itachi was quite sure Sakura would want to go with his approach: silent and unseen. He hoped she wouldn't make any brash decisions, though he hadn't known her to do something like that.

They were near the hideout now, not close enough to be noticed, and Sakura was preparing. She had her medic supplies laid out before her and was picking and choosing what she wanted in her utility belt. She was done surprisingly quickly and pulled her mask over her face once she was done. They nodded to each other and shot off in different directions. They would meet back up in the same place in about an hour, once they had properly scouted the place out.

"There's no way in without being seen," Sakura said the moment they met up again.

"I noticed." This was pretty annoying.

"I won't be of much help with my fighting style. I could sneak by them and force them to look at you so you can get them under your genjutsu. Once we're inside is a different story." She was making tactical decisions, though her voice was still quite hard. She was still pissed at him. Seriously, how long could she be pissed?

"As long as we do not raise an alarm outside, I believe it will be okay. We should go with your plan; I do not have a better one." Sakura nodded and then she was off, darting towards the hideout. There was only one entrance and zero windows, which is why this was so difficult. It was a hovel of a hideout really, best for someone that didn't want to be found. At least their information was correct.

Sakura darted behind the two guards at the door without being noticed, Itachi not far behind. She grabbed them by their heads.

"Hey!"

"What?"

They began struggling, but Sakura held them tight. Itachi was there a moment later, eyes blood red. It only took a second and the men sagged in her grip. She let them fall, shrugging.

"That went well."

He didn't answer and she sighed, turning to the door. They got in quickly and had to stop. There was nowhere to really hide. The hallways went off in different directions, down into the earth, and they could tell this was going to be a labyrinth. How the fuck are they going to find their mark in this godforsaken place?

"You take the right," Itachi said, nodding towards it. Sakura nodded and darted off. There were different hallways spawning off of the one she ran down, but she wanted to establish a perimeter first. She stopped before each corner and looked around, but there was no one. Why were there just guards outside and none in here? Sure, it was dark outside, but there should be a few people walking about.

Just as she was about to turn the corner of the hallway, she spotted someone. Jesus, only one guy? She peered around the corner. He was walking away from her. This was just too perfect. She darted forward, her footfalls not making a sound, and she jumped on his back, pushing him to the ground.

"Don't say a word or I'll break your hand," she whispered darkly in his ear. She had one of his hands twisted around his back and she put pressure on it, letting him know that she'd go through with her word. The man was obviously terrified. His eyes were wide as he tried to get a good look at her, but her mask stopped him from doing as such. "Where's your boss's room?"

"Like I'll tell you," he spat. She easily crushed his hand. He cried out in pain and she cursed under her breath, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Answer or I'll break something else," she threatened. He seemed to think about it and she leaned on his forearm, preparing him for something far worse.

"Turn right at the end of this corridor, Left at the third hallway from there and there's two guards in front of double doors," he said quickly, squeezing his eyes shut in the fear of being hurt again.

"Good henchman," she said, sending a blast of chakra into his forehead to make him pass out. Once she was sure he was out, she began running again, taking his directions. The man hadn't lied to her, at least. She hid behind a corner when she found the room, two men in front of it. She could definitely take them on, they just looked like rogue nins, but the man behind the doors would probably hear the scuffle. She narrowed her eyes, thinking of a plan.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "There's two men in front of the door and I don't know how to take them on without raising an alarm," she said quietly, not looking at him. "Genjutsu's out. They'd have to notice us before we could use it. We could surprise them with a ninjutsu, but I don't know anything that would do something like that."

"There's the ceiling."

Sakura almost laughed. "I suppose you expect me to do this?" she asked, wishing she could fix him with her gaze. "Fine, fine, give me a minute." She was on the ceiling in a minute, looking like a deformed crab. Itachi thought it a little amusing, but had to keep his emotions in check. He heard a couple thumps and peeked around the corner. Sakura was just getting up, dusting herself off.

"They didn't even notice me," she whispered. "Some guards." She turned to the doors. Itachi opened them and there was their mark, sleeping in a giant bed. Sakura sighed. "You're carrying him." He looked at her. "What? I had to crawl on a ceiling and break a man's hand!"

"Fine." He crossed to the bed and shook the man awake, trapping him in a genjutsu before he could even say a word. Sakura pulled a needle out of her belt and stuck him with it.

"It's a serum that'll keep him asleep if you need to drop the genjutsu," she whispered. He nodded. She always seemed prepared. He lifted the man over his shoulder and Sakura led the way out of the maze. They could hear guards beginning to raise the alarm. Shit. What had they missed? Sakura sighed when she rounded the corner of the last hallway. Someone had found that goddamn henchman. Someone must have gone to check on their boss and found he was missing.

"Shit."

"What?"

"I left an idiot here earlier after he told me where to find that asshole," she gestured to the man slung over Itachi's shoulder. "I guess someone found him. There wasn't anywhere to hide him."

"It does not matter; we just have to get out quickly."

They didn't get out quickly enough. Henchman surrounded them from every side once they got to the outdoors. Sakura cursed and lowered herself into her defensive stance. "Take the mark and go," Itachi ordered, dropping the man to the ground. "I will deal with these men."

"Nope," Sakura retorted. She wasn't about to leave him on his own! There had to be twenty men surrounding them and this was entirely her fault.

"Mouse, I said go." The men began rushing them.

"I will not, Weasel!" She had not called him by his codename. She began darting around and slicing people across their abdomens, keeping her eye on the unconscious body the entire time. It would not do them well to lose the mark now. She would be responsible too, which she definitely didn't want to deal with.

Itachi gritted his teeth and merely released a ninjutsu, causing anyone in his way to either be burned or to jump off to the side. Sakura darted in the wake, felling anyone who still stood. Shisui had been right. She was a good partner on the field as well. It did little to quell his anger at being ignored, though. He blocked an attack from behind and whirled around to begin again. He saw a man pick up the mark out of the corner of his eye and almost gave chase when he realized Sakura already had.

She managed to trip the man up and caught the mark easily, slashing the others throat. She whirled around to see a ninjutsu heading her way, so she channeled chakra to her feet and jumped as hard as she could.

"Look out, Weasel!" she shouted. She was already up there; why not make use of it? Itachi braced himself and felt the earth crumble below his feet. He managed to dispatch quite a few men, but his side got slashed and his arm was as well. He dispatched the offender quite quickly afterwards.

They didn't stay long in the carnage, opting to escape as quickly as possible. They made it a good four miles before Itachi had to stop. His side and his arm were bleeding quite heavily and he would soon become dizzy from blood loss. Sakura did not have any wounds, for which he was glad. She laid the mark on a tree branch and tended to his wounds, throwing him another apple when she was finished. He needed some sugar to get his blood levels back to normal. She sat on the tree branch then, straining her eyes and her ears for any sounds of pursuit.

"Why didn't you do what I told you to?" Itachi asked after he finished the apple. He was glaring at her through his mask and pulled it off, angry with it too now. Sakura took hers off much more calmly. Funny how she seemed to be the calm one right now. "And why did you not call me by my codename?"

"You're already in enough bingo books. If I were to call you 'Crow,' someone would have recognized it and run straight to whoever would take the lowest price to come after you. They know where you're from." He had to admit, Sakura was smart. That did little to lessen his anger this time either. "I wasn't about to leave you to face twenty ninja."

"You should have listened to me."

"You would have ended up with more than a gash in your side!" Sakura finally turned to face him. She glared at him, though he could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "You could have ended up dead because of my stupid mistake. I wasn't about to leave you!" She was shoved up against the tree trunk in the next minute, Itachi's livid eyes mere centimeters from hers.

"What is your problem, Sakura? You have been acting as though I mean nothing to you for weeks. You cannot act one way and then another just like that," he spat. His anger had gotten the best of him, but he wasn't about to let it simmer down. This was the first time she'd spoken more than three words to him in weeks and he was about to get some answers. He was going the violent way, of course, just as Shisui had suggested.

"You don't mean nothing," she said sharply. "I'm not someone to sleep with, Itachi. You're my friend, not my lover."

"Who said I wished to only sleep with you? You had not stayed. I had not been planning on going further." The realization hit her, but she refused to feel it. She still had reasons that she would never enter another relationship. "What is your problem with being with someone?" he asked, dark eyes burning into hers.

"I don't have a problem!"

"Obviously you do. Otherwise you would not have pushed me away after accepting my kiss." She stopped. There was no use fighting him. She couldn't be angry with him anymore, not now. He had been the one slighted and she had been acting as though she had been.

"Let me down, Weasel," she said softly. "I'll tell you." He let her down slowly. He did not move away from her, however. Their mark was still sleeping soundly thanks to the drugs she'd shot him up with. Sakura sighed deeply. "I could not go through with the pain of losing you in battle if I were to love you like that," she said quietly, looking off to the side. "I've already lost my parents and that was almost more pain than I can deal with. I could not lose my life partner as well."

"What makes you think it will not hurt less if you aren't in a relationship with me?" he asked. "It would hurt you just as much if Naruto, Sasuke, or Shisui were to fall in battle. You cannot use that argument."

"But it's the reason behind it!" she said, glaring into his eyes. He only glared back.

"There is more to it." He knew there was more; he could see it in her eyes. "You force me to be open with you; I wonder why you cannot be open with me."

"Fine. Every boyfriend that I've had just uses me for fun and leaves me in the dust after. That, combined with the other thing, just made me swear off men forever," she looked away from him again. She didn't like talking about this. She didn't like that he'd pulled it out of her.

"You think I will just use you until I am bored of you?" he asked. Why would she think that? Was she really so biased that she would group him with the rest of the males she'd had relations with? He could hardly process how such a smart woman could do that.

"You said yourself that you're going to go through with an arranged marriage, Weasel," she said sharply. Damnit, so that's why she was asking. He assumed then that she had been attracted to him and had asked as a way to figure out if she could be with him in the long run. She had been considering it and he had not known. He felt like the dumb one now. "Listen, we have to get home. We can talk about this later."

"Will you talk or will you continue to ignore me for the rest of your life?" he asked, raising a brow. He was throwing snark at her and she knew it. She hated it, but knew it was true.

"I will come with you to your home so you can write the report and we will talk once that's complete," she said quietly. He nodded. He liked that answer better. He walked to their mark.

"How long will he stay asleep?"

"Another eight hours or so. We should travel that far, I'll give him another dose, and then we can rest." The village was still about sixteen hours away. They would be back right on time if they chose Sakura's plan. Itachi only nodded and hoisted the man onto his shoulders again. They raced off into the night, impatient to put space between them and the hideout. They had stayed in one place for far too long and it was far too close.

Sakura was a lot more affable on the way back. She made light conversation with him and actually slept next to him on the same tree branch. He supposed his rage induced outburst had had the best possible outcome on her. He just hoped she wouldn't reject him after they talked. He wouldn't really stand for that and she seemed to know it. It seemed to worry her slightly, but she still smiled.

They arrived back in Konoha around six, though didn't go through the gates. They went around the village to the hidden entrance to the far left side. They had their masks on and nodded to the Jonin at the door, showing their credentials before they were allowed to pass. Ibiki was easy to find, his loud voice reverberating down the dim halls.

"We brought your new interrogation prisoner," Sakura said when they found him.

"Ah, something to do!" the man pointed to a cell near them. "Throw him in there it was just cleaned." Itachi nodded and went to put the man on the uncomfortable cot. An ANBU, a mask on his face as well, locked the door. "When will he wake up?" he directed the question to Sakura. He had had quite a few prisoners come through her and he knew her style.

"Another four hours or so. He's going to be pretty surprised," she shrugged. "We knocked him out pretty quick and he didn't even know we were there."

"My favorite," Ibiki grinned. "I'll let Tsunade know I have him." Sakura and Itachi both raised their hands in farewell as they left. They raced through the darkening village and Itachi was pleased that she kept her word and followed him straight to his house.

He brought her to his room and rifled through the dresser, handing her clothes. She immediately went to the bathroom and he went to the desk. He set to writing the report. She was out of the shower before he finished and he sighed. He'd been hoping to finish it before got out. She was quick to shower, though.

"I'll finish it," Sakura said, watching him get up. He raised a brow. "I've finished a lot of Kakashi's reports and I write my own all the time. Don't worry; I'm pretty good at forging handwriting." Though he was still on the fence, he just nodded. May as well let her. He headed to the bathroom to take his own shower.

Sakura handed him the report when he came out and he looked over it. "You are correct, you are very good at this," he said. She was. He could hardly tell where his writing ended and hers began. Her voice was toned to match his as well. He was pretty impressed. "I will be right back." There was a warning in his voice, telling her not to run. She only nodded and hopped on his bed, pulling a book from his nightstand. She was stuck here; may as well do something instead of let anxiety eat her from the inside out.

He was back surprisingly quickly. She was nervous at this point, the anxiety growing in the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to talk about this. She really didn't. She wanted to continue her blissful existence and continue ignoring him for the rest of eternity. Itachi sat beside her and she slowly closed the book, putting it back on the nightstand.

"Why are you so interested in the subject of an arranged marriage I may or may not do?" he asked first after a long minute. Sakura flushed and looked down at the bed.

"I don't know. I mean, I was just interested and kind of worried about you. I didn't mean to make it come off like I was interested in you," she said quietly.

"You are interested. You kissed me back."

"You can't prove that means I'm interested in you," she said defiantly.

"The attitude also condones such an assumption." Oh, he was making her angry. He was certainly being snarky.

"Fine, Itachi! I find you attractive! What more do you want?"

"I would like being able to kiss you without you running off on me," he stated. Jesus, he was saying a lot lately. It was Sakura, though, he couldn't complain about it.

"I don't want a relationship, Itachi," she stated her earlier argument. "I already told you why."

"And I believe I told you that you cannot use that argument. There is a chance I could die, yes, but you are often by my side. If it would make you happy, I will refuse any solo missions and request you to be my partner on two man missions."

"You would do that?" she sounded rather incredulous. She couldn't quite understand that he would do something like that. Solo missions paid out quite well and he was very good at them. She couldn't process what he was saying.

"If it means I have a chance to earn your affections, yes." He was willing to go to extreme in this chance. He had not quite met anyone like her and she kept him interested in her in the way she acted. She was ferocious and vicious, but didn't have a problem shedding tears and showing the emotional side they all knew she had. She wasn't afraid of him, wasn't afraid to confront him and it was interesting and new to him. He didn't love her, not yet at least, but he wanted to kiss her and feel her body next to his without knowing and worrying she was sharing a bed with anyone else.

"Why would you go that far?"

"I do not know what will come of this, but I would like to see. You are interesting. I like to hold you and would like to continue. Although it was only for a moment, your kiss has been imprinted in my memory." Sakura was very stunned with how much he was saying right now. He didn't often say much, she could definitely contest to that, but he was going to crazy extremes because of her.

"I know you're making it sound like I have a choice, but I don't really, do I?" she asked, a small laugh escaping her.e

"I didn't think I was giving you one." That made her laugh. She shook her head and looked at him after her laughter calmed down.

"Alright, Itachi." She fell back into his pillows. "You win, Weasel. I can't win an argument against you and God knows I keep on trying," she sighed. "I'm hungry."

"I don't have anything to cook. Would you like me to go get something?" She nodded, eyes already closed. She hadn't properly slept before their mission and there wasn't much time to sleep while out in the field, obviously. She was tired and wanted to take a nap. Itachi only pressed a hand to her shoulder briefly before leaving. He would wake her when he had food.

He was back about a half hour later, having found a place. Sakura was curled into a ball underneath his blankets, her pink hair peeking out on the pillow. He still thought her quite cute and didn't really want to wake her but thought she might be pretty hungry. He shook her gently and she woke easily, looking at him blearily. After considering for a moment, he leaned down and kissed her.

She was about to push him away, he could feel it. Her hand was on his shoulder and he felt the slight push, but she stopped herself before she completely threw him across the room. He pulled away and she smiled, looking slightly sheepish.

"Sorry. Old habits die hard I guess," she muttered.

"It's alright. I brought dinner." She got up quickly with the mention of dinner and he almost smiled. She was quite endearing. She followed him to the dining room and he handed her a fork for her meal. She dug right in.

"Not as good as your cooking, but still good," she sighed.

"I was surprised you ate it when you were ignoring me," he commented. Sakura flushed.

"I wasn't about to fight with you about it," she said quietly. "I know you would have and I would have definitely put you through a wall or two with how pissed off I was. I'm sorry by the way. I really shouldn't have acted that way."

"You're right." Her flush became darker at his words. "It is in the past though, do not worry about it anymore." She smiled at her food now. He was apparently very good at letting things go. Though it hardly made her feel better about the way she acted, he was being sweet in the only way he knew how and it was quite nice.

"Thank you for the food," she said after she finished. She didn't really know what to do now. This was a little new to her. Itachi didn't seem to mind though. He threw the takeout containers out and pulled her up, bringing her back to his bedroom. She hesitated getting into bed with him. He only gave her a quizzical look.

"I don't know, I just—" she looked about to run again.

"I will not try anything, just as I have not before. I may kiss you, but that is all," he calmed her anxiety. She slowly got into bed next to him and he didn't hesitate to wrap an arm around her and pull her on top of his chest.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked, a little confused. She was used to mild hesitation from him, nothing like this. He was growing bolder, probably because of the whole situation.

"I like you there," he said. She laughed, pressing her cheek to his chest. She couldn't fight with that logic.

"What are we going to tell the boys?" she asked, groaning. "They're going to try and murder you, you know." Itachi laughed. Actually laughed. It was a small chuckle, mostly just his body shifting in his laughter, but she couldn't keep her eyes from him in her astonishment. "Did you laugh?"

"I suppose I did." She giggled at that. "It may surprise you, but I do have and show emotions."

"Not often!" oh, she was enjoying this. She could definitely get behind enjoying her time with him. "You didn't answer me," she pouted. "What are we going to tell them?"

"The truth. If they try to kill me, they can beg you to heal what I'll do to them," he answered simply. Sakura laughed again. When Itachi was in the mood, he could be such a riot. Itachi, meanwhile, was slightly confused. Why was she laughing? He was merely stating the facts. He didn't want to try and understand her.

"They haven't seen me in a relationship in about two years now. There's going to be a lot to get used to," she sighed. There was a lot to get used to for her too. She didn't really know how to act in a relationship anymore. Itachi might have a problem with that. She could feel the anxiety growing in her stomach again.

"Calm down. They will get used to it, just as you will. I have never been in a relationship, so I will need to as well." Sakura froze. She forgot about that. He hadn't been in a real relationship, had he? He was just about as clueless as she was.

"How'd you know I was getting anxious?" she asked.

"It was in your voice." Damn his powers of observation. She was so accustomed to Naruto's dumb ass. He couldn't tell the emotions in her voice even if they hit him in the head with a ninjutsu.

"Oh shit," she muttered.

"What?"

"Your brother," she said flatly. "He's going to murder something. You know how overprotective he is. I'm sure he's going to have more than enough to say about this." Sasuke had that overprotective brother bull shit which kept most hopeful suitors away, but she didn't know if he would do it to his brother. If so, Itachi would not be happy.

"I can deal with my brother," Itachi said evenly. "I told you. There is no argument you can make that will stop me from wanting to try this with you." Sakura sighed and shifted slightly, getting comfortable. She really couldn't fight him on this, could she? There was no real valid reason she couldn't try. She could still hate how right he was, though. "Are you tired?"

"Very much so," she said softly. She knew it was quite early in the evening, but she was so tired.

"Sleep. I'm tired too." She nodded slowly, eyes already closed. Itachi leaned his head back into his pillows, praying he didn't have a nightmare tonight.

* * *

She was woken by Itachi gently jostling her.

"Where are you going?" she asked softly, missing his warmth already. He had placed her back where they were lying, so it was quite warm, but it couldn't compare to his body. "Come back," she whined, curling up. Why did he get to get up when he wanted but when she wanted to get up he held onto her tighter than anything?

"I'm merely going to make breakfast, Sakura," he said, amused. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She smiled and her eyes closed again. "You're still tired, sleep." She nodded and wrapped the blankets tighter around herself. He only shook his head and walked to the kitchen. He sighed. He'd forgotten he didn't have anything. He didn't keep much in the first place, and he didn't leave much before a mission. Guess he had to go to the market; at least Sakura could sleep longer.

Sakura was leaning on a counter, a mug in her hands when he returned. So much for letting her sleep longer. She rubbed her eyes when he walked in. "Where'd you go?" she asked. She still sounded rather tired.

"To the market. Did I take too long?" He had just gone to get some eggs and bread, the usual breakfast she preferred.

"I guess not," she shrugged. "I just didn't sleep much longer than I thought is all." He nodded and got out a pan, Sakura still leaning on the counter. She yawned and sipped her tea. "Do you have to go to the hospital?"

"Not today. I just got back from a mission. However I thought it'd be fun to give the idiots a heart attack," she said slyly, grinning at him when he looked at her.

"You already wish to tell them? I thought you'd want to keep this quiet for a while."

"You do realize Sasuke crawls into my bed sometimes, right?" she asked, laughing. He narrowed his eyes, obviously not liking the reminder. "Oh don't look like that, that's why it's important to tell them now. Before Sasuke or Shisui end up with multiple broken bones and I end up with a few broken walls." He had forgotten Sakura was an odd person and allowed such things; he had had her attention on himself for the better part of a week.

"Perhaps it would be better to tell them," Itachi finally said. Sakura grinned.

"Finally, you're seeing that I'm rather smart," she laughed.

"I have seen that for a while." She shook her head. Itachi handed her a plate. She headed to the table and he sat across from her.

"So how do you want to do this?" she asked after she finished, leaning her chin on her hand. "It won't be hard to find them," she checked her watch, "They'll be going to the training grounds soon. I think Shisui's on a mission still, though, so that'll have to wait."

"You do realize I am lacking in social skills, correct?" he asked, a brow raised. She laughed. "However, if you would like it stated outright and bluntly, I am the person to ask." She laughed again. How the hell did he manage to make even tones and serious words hilarious?

"Then go for it," she laughed. "I mean, I'm prone to beating around the bush and I'll probably get angry with them pretty easily. I can always beat down if they try to start anything," she grinned. "Funny, I never thought I'd be making a plan to tell my best friends I was dating someone."

"I never thought I'd be dating someone," Itachi said blankly. Sakura flushed and smiled. He was still kind of sweet, in a way. She stood abruptly and went to wash their dishes.

"Well, if you'd like to cause a few heart attacks let's go. I just have to stop at home first and change," she looked down at the oversized clothes on her figure. "I don't think I'd do very well in these." She didn't mind wearing them, not really, but they weren't good enough for her to go out in. She just knew Itachi really liked to see her walking about in his clothes.

"Alright." He was planning to go with her and she knew it. She left the dishes to dry and stretched her arms over her head.

"Let's go."

Thankfully, she changed quickly. She wasn't one to sit there and decide what to wear; her normal ninja outfit was often good enough. She figured she was going to be getting in a scuffle at some point in the next couple of hours, so it was more a need than anything else.

Naruto and Sasuke were making quite a ruckus on their favorite training ground. They liked to fight with ninjutsu, and powerful ones at that, so they were currently decimating a field quite well. It had been decimated quite a few times in the past, so no one really said anything anymore. Just as they were both going for a head on attack, Sakura jumped lightly between them and knocked them to the ground easily.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled as he hit the ground. "Sakura, I thought we asked you to stop doing that!"

"How else am I going to get your attention?" she grinned at the two of them. She stood upright and offered her hand to each of them, helping them up.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, finally noticing him. Sakura sighed.

"Well you see, there's something I have to tell you," she laughed nervously, scratching the side of her head. She was fidgeting a bit and Sasuke and Naruto were getting rather impatient.

"Well?"

"Yeah, come on Sakura, out with it! You were never good with telling us things," Naruto complained, crossing his arms and looking pretty annoyed. Sakura was never any good at telling them something and they knew it would probably upset them with how she was hesitating so much.

"Sakura and I are in a relationship," Itachi said flatly.

"What?!" Naruto stumbled back, looking surprised, whereas Sasuke just raised a brow, looking pretty unimpressed. He was pissed, that much was true; Sakura could see it in his eyes.

"How did that happen?" Sasuke asked, his sharp eyes on the two of them. He had thought Sakura would never try and get into another relationship and that had been fine by him. He had quite enjoyed having her around when he was too lonely to know what to do with himself. Was he slightly jealous? A little more than slightly.

"Itachi is persistent," Sakura deadpanned. Sasuke scoffed and turned, walking away. He couldn't stand to look at the two of them right now. Sakura looked saddened and she bit her lip, clenching her hands into fists. She didn't want to piss him off, but his attitude was to be expected.

"He'll calm down eventually. He'll come to talk when he does," Itachi assured her. Naruto was still standing there, looking dumbfounded. Sakura hit him upside the head.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his head, shooting her a glare, "What the hell was that for?"

"It seemed like your brain short circuited. I gave you a jumpstart," she grinned.

"You can't blame me! What the hell are you talking about! You and Itachi?! Sasuke," Naruto turned, looking for his friend, surprised when he wasn't there. "Where the hell did Sasuke go?" Sakura's face fell.

"He's a little pissed off," she sighed.

"I am too! We'll fight about this later, I have to go and calm him the hell down!" Naruto ran off in the direction of Sasuke and Sakura watched him go, just slightly sad.

"It will be fine, Sakura."

"Yeah, he'll get over it eventually, I guess," she sighed. "I expected them to go for your throat the minute it came out of your mouth." She didn't expect them to take it so well, honestly. There wasn't any real explosion from any of them, just a bit of anger and walking away. She didn't really understand it. "I'm just surprised. I thought they would get violent."

"They did not expect you to show interest in me. It is surprising to them, Sasuke especially." Sakura nodded. She sighed.

"Well, there's not much we can do, I guess it's best that we just go get lunch or something." Itachi nodded. They walked off the training ground, knowing there would be questions to answer later and annoying friends to deal with.


	6. Chapter 6

**Serious question: have some of you been going to I am Sakura and I am broken? Just wondering. If so, whyyyyyyy?**

 **Grab yo stuffed animals and shield yo eyes there be a lemon hidden in this goddamn chapter, babychilds!**

 **I know you've been waiting for it.**

* * *

"Why him?"

Sasuke had let himself into her house while she was relaxing on the couch, reading a book. She turned to him and patiently waited for him to come completely through the window instead of hanging out of it like an idiot. He glowered and pulled himself into her living room, but refused to sit.

"What do you mean, why him?" she asked, matching his icy tone. She wasn't about to give him anything, not with the way he was asking.

"Why'd you choose him?" he asked shortly. He was still pissed off. It had been a few days, sure, but he took a long time to simmer down.

"Like I said, Sasuke, he's very persistent. I told him no and he said I couldn't. What's the problem?" she sighed. "It's not like I could stay single forever," she shrugged, "there was bound to be someone determined enough to make me date them," she sighed.

"And it could not be me instead of my brother?" he asked, fixing her with a glare.

"Jesus, Sasuke, really?" she looked at him incredulously. "You rejected me for years. How the fuck do you expect me to want to be with you after that? You haven't shown any interest in me anyways! The hell are you talking about? You're just jealous that you can no longer crawl into my bed when you can't find someone else to warm it!"

Oh, he hated how right she was. It pissed him off more that she was so correct. "That's not true, Sakura. I don't just come here when I can't find someone else. I thought you knew that," he vehemently denied everything she just said.

"Well, Sasuke, you lost your chance. I'm so sorry," she rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the sofa, not wanting to look at him anymore. He was just pissing her off and she was going to end up with a broken wall if this continued.

"Don't walk away from me!" he said angrily, catching her arm. She whirled around, a dangerous look in her eye.

"This isn't something that just happened, Sasuke," she said darkly. "Like I said, Itachi is very persistent. It took him a while just to wear me down enough to accept him and then he went to extremes to make it happen. It's happened and I'm not going back now." She still had a whole world of things to get used to and she didn't feel completely secure in defending anything and everything that was going on right now, but she still was going to. She didn't care. She had made this decision and now she was going to have to deal with it.

"I should realize Itachi always gets what he wants," Sasuke scoffed.

"Sasuke, I don't understand why you're having such a hard time with this," Sakura said harshly. "There's no reason and you know it, so shut up. I know it's going to be hard for you for a little while, but there's no reason for you to be acting like this."

"I do not like this," he stated, crossing his arms. He looked like a little child.

"Neither does Naruto, but you don't see him barging in my home and demanding why I didn't choose him instead," she sighed. "Look, I get it. Things are changing and you hate it. You've always hated change. Use this as a chance to actually find a girl that will share your bed with you for the rest of your life, dummy," she was trying to turn this around on him. She tried valiantly, but he was still angry about it.

"There's no girl that I am interested in," he said harshly. "There has only been you." Sakura scoffed and he glared at her. "What?"

"I've been the only girl that you've really interacted with, Sasuke! You're predisposed to me, but that doesn't mean you love me. You only think that because I've been the only woman around you for the past," she stopped to count, "eight years now. There are other women and I have never seen you pass more than a glance over them and try to talk to them!"

Interesting, how she had turned this on her. She was smarter than he was, that's for sure, and he hated when she did shit like this. "Fine, Sakura, you're right." It was better to just agree with her at this point. He knew she was right and that was what he hated the most.

"See, is it really so hard to understand your own feelings?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. He glowered and she shook her head. "Stop it, Sasuke. You're still one of my best friends, and you know it. Nothing's going to change, really. You're still going to be able to come here and talk to me about anything that's bothering you."

"I know," he sighed. "I apologize," he felt like he should after all this. "I suppose I overreacted."

"That's an understatement. Coming in here and trying to tell me that you're in love with me? That's a little crazy, even for you Sasuke," she sighed. "I'm not too good at this, anyways. What do you do in relationships? I don't even know anymore, it's been so long."

"You're asking the wrong person," Sasuke sighed, collapsing on her sofa. He was tired at this point after all that anger. "I haven't been in any real relationships, you know that." Sakura sighed heavily and fell on the couch next to him.

"We're all fucked up when it comes to relationships, huh?" she laughed. "The only one that isn't is Naruto. He seems to know what to do, and that's saying something." How did the idiot manage to know what to do with Hinata? She didn't even know.

"Naruto was unaware of Hinata's feelings and we had to tell him. We are just dysfunctional," Sasuke said, staring at the floor. It was calming to talk to Sakura, even if she was telling him he was wrong and being stupid. They usually meandered away from that though, like now. He didn't know how he was going to have a relationship with a woman. None of them were as easy as Sakura's friendship.

"Do you think it's because we're shinobi?" Sakura asked, staring blankly at the far wall.

"I believe so. There are not many women shinobi and they are the only ones that understand. I probably only have a hope within my own clan. Be prepared for backlash among the women in my clan, by the way. They will not take kindly to you dating the heir."

"Why not?" Sakura asked, scared now. She didn't understand clan things, she really didn't. Sasuke sighed heavily.

"You are dating the next head of the Uchiha family, Sakura. His name is enough to protect you when you walk through the compound, but in the village, the women from the clan will not be so nice. They will come after you and try and prove that they are a better match for Itachi." Sakura glared at the wall now.

"Well, I don't think I'll cower before them," she said easily. "I'll throw them through a couple walls if I have to, but what does it matter?"

"It is like being a trophy wife," he shrugged. "If he asks you to marry him, there is a good chance that he'll share the reputation and standing with you. If he were to go through an arranged marriage, his wife wouldn't get those perks. However they could still gain an insurmountable amount of respect for just being Itachi's wife. They want that, annoyingly so."

"Jesus," she fell back on the couch. "How the hell did I get myself into this mess?" she whined. Sasuke only shook his head.

"Itachi always gets what he wants," Sasuke shrugged. "Don't worry. You know he's scary when he wants to be."

"Oh, yeah. I got to see that scary side," she looked at the ground. "I guess I pissed him off a bit on our mission and he shoved me into a tree."

"Really?" Sasuke had never heard of Itachi doing something like that. He usually tried to silently intimidate whoever he was pissed with, not resort to physical altercations like that.

"Yeah. I got us into a mess and there was a big fight. He told me to go, but I didn't want to. He got a couple wounds but he didn't die, so that was good enough for me. He got pretty pissed off after that though. I'm pretty sure it just fueled his anger from my ignoring him before that, though." She sighed.

"Itachi does not like being ignored," Sasuke said, watching her. "That's just how it is." Sakura nodded. "Where is he, anyways? I would have thought he wouldn't leave you alone after he decided he wanted to be in a relationship with you." Itachi was very possessive over anything and Sasuke was surprised he wasn't around, trying to scare him into leaving.

"No clue. I think he's going to shower and buy some food. I don't have anything after that mission and he didn't either. I've been busy at the hospital again and anyway, I think he knew you were around too and wanted to let you talk with me without being here. Itachi's pretty good at leaving when he needs to," she sighed. "I don't think I'll be alone at night anytime soon," she laughed.

"It would probably be better just to let him move in here or vice versa," Sasuke said, shrugging. Sakura laughed.

"I think that would be categorized as 'moving too fast,' Sasuke. I don't think I would be able to deal with that either. Oh!" She sat straight up. "I didn't tell you. It's kind of nice in a way. Weasel said he's not going to take solo missions anymore. Isn't that weird?"

"Not really. We all know how you hate it when we go on solo missions, Sak," he sighed. "There's always someone else that would like to take the money for it, so it's not a big deal. Just be glad he's doing something like that for you." Sasuke was a little taken aback to be honest. He had never heard of Itachi doing something like that, but he supposed the man really did go to extremes just to get Sakura to accept him.

"Alright, I have to get to the hospital. I'm a little backed up right now," she sighed. "Are we on for tomorrow morning then or are you still angry with me?" she smiled and offered her hand, pulling him up. Sasuke scoffed.

"I'm angrier with my brother than I am with you. I will not see you as often now." Sakura shook her head and brought him in for a quick hug.

"I don't think that'll change, Sasuke," she smiled when she pulled away.

"My brother is very possessive," he walked with her out the door and watched her as she locked it. "He does not like sharing and probably won't let you out of his sight very often." Sakura laughed and began walking down the stairs.

"Then he's going to be dragged everywhere that I go and he's going to have to deal with me hugging my friends. If he can't deal with that, then he's in for a fight and I will swear on that," she grinned up at him. Sasuke only shook his head and held the door open for her. It was getting quite cold with winter on the doorstep and he wasn't looking forwards to it. He hardly wanted to get up in the cold let alone go out on missions in it.

"You two are going to give me a headache," he sighed. He could already tell. Sakura was violent and would have a fight with a wall if it was in her way. Itachi was just infuriating to be around with his endless patience.

"That sounds like a you problem," she laughed. "Aren't relationships around just to give you someone to fight with?" she asked slyly, grinning.

"No, Sakura," he sighed. They had made it to the hospital. "I'll see you tomorrow. I have a mission with Naruto and Shino at noon, so don't try to beat me up too bad."

"I promise nothing!" she yelled after him. He only sighed and raised a hand in goodbye. She just shook her head and went to the hospital. There was more than enough for her to take care of here. She went straight to her office and pulled the files towards her. Instead of having Tsunade approve them while she'd been gone, they'd just been piled up on her desk. She sighed; sometimes Tsunade was just too lazy. She could have had Shizune approve these if she didn't want to do them!

She shuffled through the files quickly. Most of them were fine, though a couple of them she was annoyed with. She'd have to call a couple people back and she'd have to get Ino here to check out her cough. The nurse that had given the exam had said it was nothing, but Sakura wasn't so sure. It wouldn't do well for Ino to get sick, either; she was annoying when she was under the weather.

Once she managed to get through the files, she sighed and picked them up. She went to the nurses' station in the foyer and dropped the files on the top of the desk. "Have someone fetch these people for me, please? I'll be doing my rounds." One of them nodded, clearly seeing that a foul mood was coming over the pinkette, and got right on it. Sakura just walked away, going to check on her patients.

She'd gained a few more while she'd been gone, patients that no one else knew what to do with. An elderly man had a particularly bad cough. Sakura sighed and checked him over, making sure there was no internal bleeding or weakened lungs. His lungs were quite weak and he needed oxygen to help them along. They'd already had him on it, but she upped the dose. He needed to be on it more than a few hours a day.

There was a young girl, about three or so, under a heavy fever and sleeping for long periods of time. She bit her lip while looking the chart over and then went to checking her over. She had a virus that was throwing her little body into turmoil, but the nurses couldn't figure out what exactly what the virus was. She pressed her fingertips to her neck and felt what she was looking for: swollen glands.

This could be anything. She sighed and went to the cabinet, pulling blood from her. The child didn't wake. She checked the IV that was attached to her. It was just for dehydration and for the fever, all the nurses could really do.

She brought the vial of blood to the nurses' station. "I need it tested. It's for the little girl in 2b."

"Okay, the people you wanted are here."

"Alright. I'm going to finish my rounds and I'll be back in twenty minutes, at least." The nurse nodded. Sakura went back to doing her rounds, most of them quite easy to get through. None were as bad as the little girl and it nagged at her at the back of her mind the entire time. She hated seeing children on her rounds. It just tugged at her heart and made her unhappy.

She sighed as she was walking quickly to the exam rooms. She had to deal with the people she'd call back. She'd save Ino for last, she would keep her talking for a while and she knew it. She hadn't seen the blonde in a while and she would go on for hours when that happened. She loved Ino, she really did, but she couldn't stand her incessant talking half the time.

"Jesus, you've been keeping me waiting forever!" Ino said when Sakura finally walked in. Sakura only shrugged.

"Sorry, I've been super busy. There's a lot to do around here," Sakura said, setting her files on the desk in the room. Ino sighed.

"I just want this to be taken care of. I don't even have a cough anymore, just a lot of congestion," she sighed. Ino had never been a good medic. She was getting better; she just had a slower learning curve. Sakura shrugged.

"You've always been more on the healing wounds side of medic," Sakura said, drawing her. She began checking her over. "You've never been very good at diagnosing anything. That's fine, but we have to work on that with you," she stuck her tongue out at the blonde.

"Don't be mean," Ino pouted. "I'm more than capable of healing out in the field, you know? I'm just not good in the hospital like you are." Sakura pulled away from her, laughing. She reached into a cabinet and searched for a minute.

"Here. It'll get rid of your congestion, stop at the front desk to get antibiotics. It's just a sinus infection," she laughed again.

"You'd think I'd be able to figure that out," Ino sighed.

"Yet again, you're much better as a field medic," Sakura smiled. "It's not a problem."

"So, I heard from a little birdy that you have someone special now," oh, of course, she wasn't getting out of this without a little gossip. Sakura scoffed.

"Yeah, okay Ino. Me?" She had told Naruto and Sasuke, was planning on telling Shisui when he came back, but the general population didn't need to know just yet.

"Naruto told me," Ino said, beaming. Oh, of course. Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut. Sakura glared at the wall. She'd have to talk to him about that and she had no doubt he would be completely whole again after. "So, how's the older Uchiha in the sack?" Ino asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Ino!" Sakura smacked her friend. "I haven't even had sex with him yet! We'd only decided this like three days ago, god. Not everyone has sex on the first date, you know," she muttered the last part, holding her charts close to her chest. She was pissed off, that was true, but this wasn't a place to get violent.

"Hey! That's a mean thing to say," Ino pouted. "I was just asking after all. I mean, the Uchiha brothers are pretty known for being good in the sack." Sakura flushed. She couldn't believe what Ino was going on about right now! It was embarrassing and she didn't really like talking about it. Before Sakura could retort, she was saved by a knock at the door.

"Sakura, someone just came in. Emergency," the nurse said when she opened the door. Sakura was thrown into action the moment after, Ino hot on her tail. Even if she couldn't help with diagnosing a patient or treating them for anything but battle wounds, she figured she could stick around and help if she could.

"What's wrong with the patient?" Sakura asked as they all but ran down the halls.

"He collapsed at the gate and they brought him in. He has multiple wounds and we believe internal bleeding, just by looking at him," the nurse said quickly. They made it to the emergency wing and the nurse opened a door. Sakura stopped. Her whole world crashed down around her and her mind was thrown for a whirl.

"Sakura, come on," Ino shoved her. Sakura nodded and rushed to his side.

"Start healing anything you can," she instructed Ino. "Get blood for transfusions, A positive," she barked at the nurse. He was losing too much blood, obviously, and they would need it. Sakura began checking him over, her eyes stuck to his face. What had happened on his mission? It was supposed to be an A rank, simple for a man of his caliber. She didn't really understand.

"He's got multiple lacerations all over," Ino said. She was working quickly and Sakura was glad. Ino really was great at healing battlefield wounds.

"Just keep working on that. He's got internal bleeding and I have to fix that before his organs begin shutting down," Sakura said, her hands and clothes already stained in blood. The internal bleeding had not begun long ago and therefore there wasn't much damage on his organs yet. She didn't want it to get that far, though, so she set to work.

They worked quietly, once in a while telling each other things they thought were important. It wasn't as bad as it first appeared to be, but it was still heart wrenching to see Shisui in this position. Sakura still wondered how he could get into this bad of a state.

They both fell back tiredly into chairs once they were finished.

"What do you think happened to him?" Ino asked, tired herself.

"He was probably ambushed," Sakura sighed. She was in shock from seeing him like this and she knew tears would come pretty soon. She always cried when someone close to her came in like this and she hated it. "God I'm tired," she said, leaning her head back on the wall. "I'm going to sleep after I get home.

"What else do you have to do?"

"I have to do my rounds again, check up on them. I have to get Shisui in a room and do a physical for him, and then I have to write a report on this whole thing." She looked at her watch. "And I missed lunch with Itachi, so he's going to be pissed when I get out of here."

"Damn, he has that much power over you?" Ino laughed. "Well, I can write your report for you and get Shisui in a room. Since I worked on him, Tsunade should be fine with that. You go do your rounds and when you come back, Shisui will be ready for his physical, okay?" she smiled.

"Thanks. I owe you a drink."

"Tomorrow I'll drag you out to a bar," Ino promised. They pulled themselves out of the chairs. "See you tomorrow, Sakura," Ino said with a wave. Sakura nodded and smiled thinly, off to do her rounds after a quick change of clothes in her office. Hers were ruined and destined for the trash. She was pretty happy that she had enough money to replace all the clothes she went through.

She managed to get through her rounds and Shisui's physical without feeling too bad, but once she was done and staring at his sleeping face, she lost it. She gripped his hand and planted her face on his stomach, crying. She hated seeing him like that.

"Hey," Shisui was roused, finally, and his hand was on her head. "Did you fix me up, little Sak?" she nodded. "We have to stop meeting like this, you know," his voice was thin and raspy and she hated hearing it. He had been pretty much on the brink of death and she hated that realization. She wasn't strong when it came to remembering she or any one of her friends could die on the next mission.

"What happened?" she asked softly, wiping her eyes. He was okay. There was no reason to cry or feel upset about this. She knew it was stupid, but sometimes she just couldn't stop herself. She hated herself for it half the time and wished she could keep her emotions in check like Sasuke or Itachi. It certainly became bothersome sometimes.

"I was ambushed," just as she'd thought. "I was just guarding some dignitary again and I got him to his destination fine. A bunch of rogue nins caught me off guard on my way back and made my life hell for a couple hours. I managed to dispatch them and run home, though."

"I'm so glad," she muttered, peeking at his face.

"Don't cry, little Sak. It's okay. You're always there to fix me up," he said. He was still so tired and leaned his head back on the lumpy hospital pillows. "I'm glad you're always around."

"You're just lucky you belong to the village I'm in," she shot at him. She was feeling a little better with him awake now.

"Yes. Yes, I am," he sighed. "I'm still so tired," he said softly, closing his eyes.

"Sleep, you need your rest," she said quietly. He nodded sluggishly. He was asleep soon after and Sakura found her eyes closing as well. She hadn't expected today to be so crazy and was so tired. She hadn't eaten anything either, so she was more exhausted because of that. She let herself fall into a slumber, her head on Shisui's stomach.

"Sakura," she woke to Itachi's soft voice and hand on her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up and stared at him. He didn't come into focus for a couple seconds, her eyes getting used to the light in the room first. "Is he alright?" he asked. Sakura looked back to the sleeping man.

"Yeah," she said softly, leaning back into him. Itachi tightened his grip minutely. "He just had a lot of injuries and a little internal bleeding. Ino was there, so it wasn't that much of a problem." She was so thankful that Ino was there. She had helped tremendously, more so than the green medics that were usually in the hospital for experience.

"You haven't eaten yet," he stated.

"No," she shook her head, regretting it immediately after. Her head hurt, probably because she had not had any sustenance today. Itachi wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stooped, picking her up easily. She rested her head on his shoulder and let him carry her home, the cool air of the night feeling nice and waking her up. "What time is it?" she asked after he'd let her down.

"Around midnight. I heard about Shisui and didn't want to bother you," he said, going to the kitchen. She collapsed on the sofa, rubbing her temples. She hated when she didn't have time to eat. It did the worst things to her body and she could hardly think through the fuzz that invaded her head because of it.

"Thanks," she finally murmured. She leaned her head back on the sofa and just let him cook. He was sitting next to her before long, placing a plate in her lap. She opened her eyes and looked down. He had made chicken parmesan again. "I thought you didn't eat stuff like this," she said, picking up her fork.

"You need protein and such for energy," he said. "You have worked the past three days. Are you going to go tomorrow?" he asked. She shook her head, the fuzz clearing with every bite she took. The dizziness was dissipating and she was feeling immensely better.

"No, I get tomorrow and the next day off," she smiled. She had started taking more days off since Tsunade had been notified to her overworking herself. Sakura really didn't mind. She had to be told to take it easy and hadn't really realized that she had overworked herself like that. "I am going to spar with the boys in the morning, so I have to sleep at some point."

"You have to stop waking up early," Itachi deadpanned.

"I do not. Just because you prefer sleeping until ten in the morning doesn't mean I do," she shot back. "Sasuke finally came to speak to me today," she sighed. "He seemed to have thought himself into thinking I'd date him and should have chosen him."

"I had a feeling," Itachi didn't seem surprised in the slightest. "He was a bit jealous of me."

"Well, yeah, but you and I both know he isn't really attracted to me in the slightest," she laughed. "I think it was more like now that I wasn't an option, he got angry. I was never really an option, but you know what I'm getting at. Anyways, I told him that if he's jealous, then it's time to find himself a girl of his own instead of depending on me for the rest of his life to give him physical comfort," she shrugged.

"How did he react to that?"

"It's Sasuke. He was angrily agreeing with me," Sakura shrugged. "Shit happens." He nodded. "I kind of forgot about that, honestly," she wrinkled her nose, "What with Shisui coming in like that." She was still slightly upset over it. She could still see his bloody unconscious face and she shook her head violently to get the thought out of her head. She shouldn't be thinking about that.

"I know it upsets you," he said quietly. Sakura wished he would reach out to her and comfort her, but he probably didn't know that she needed it. She shuffled closer to him and he looked at her, questioning slightly. She leaned on his arm briefly and he finally got the picture. He wrapped an arm around her and pressed her to his side.

"If something upsets me and you know it, you should hug me," she said, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. She couldn't be too upset with him, he didn't know how to react and she knew it.

"I will remember," he said. She nodded. "I am glad you were able to heal him, though. I do not know what I would do if Shisui were not around." Sakura pursed her lips. She forgot that Itachi did have emotions again. She forgot that Shisui had other people that cared about him, even the great unfeeling ice cube next to her.

"Thanks, Itachi," she murmured, finishing the last bit of chicken on her plate.

"Why?" He didn't know he did anything to warrant her gratitude. He took her plate from her, but didn't move just yet.

"Thanks for reminding me that there are other people that care about him," Sakura said, smiling. "Sometimes I forget there are people I can share my insecurities with."

"That's what I am here for," he said quietly. She smiled again and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He moved quickly and grabbed the back of her neck, holding her so he could press his own kiss to her lips. She didn't hesitate to kiss him back this time and warmth sprouted in his chest. He liked that she didn't try and push him away this time. Sex would be a different matter, though. He didn't know how she would react if he were to try and get her clothes off just yet.

"Don't," she murmured when he made to pull away. Her hand was on his neck now. Slightly surprised, he met her lips again. She hadn't ever tried to kiss him herself, but it was a pleasant surprise. He threaded his fingers through her hair and tilted her head, slanting her mouth against his. She was almost on his lap now and he had to hold their plates off to the side. He didn't mind at all. He enjoyed kissing her, her body was so close and his arm was tight around her.

"I have to go wash these," he said when she pulled away for air. She flushed. She obviously hadn't remembered he was holding dirty plates. "Go take a shower. You can kiss me after," there was a smirk on his face and she smacked his arm.

"I wasn't the one who kissed first!" she shot at him. His smirk only deepened and she scoffed, pushing herself off the couch. She walked to her bathroom, intent on scrubbing the smell of hospital and blood from her skin and her hair. She would no doubt use another half bottle of shampoo on this.

Itachi was lying on her bed when she got out of the shower. She wore pajamas now and was drying her hair when she walked in. He looked up from his book, but didn't close it just yet. Sakura only sighed and fell on the bed. She wasn't tired yet, not after her long nap at Shisui's bedside. She would have to stop herself from going to check on him tomorrow, but Itachi would invariably be around to help with that, at least.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, just wide awake," she sighed. She stretched and looked up at him. The book was blocking her way from getting on top of him and she gave it a glare. He shook his head and put it off to the side, picking up the remote and turning something on instead. He wasn't particularly big on TV, but she would often get annoyed if he had something blocking her way to him.

Sakura moved to curl her body around him and turn her attention to the screen. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and arranged her in just the way he liked. He liked spending his nights with her. The bothersome dreams weren't so bad now with the knowledge that she was near. It was easier to deal with. He remembered that he had not yet told her why he had such nightmares, but now wasn't the time. They were happy and it hadn't come up since that mission.

"So can I kiss you now?" she asked, peering up at him.

"Is that why you made me put my book down?" he asked, amusement clear in his voice. She flushed.

"Well, no, not really. But I really like kissing you," she smiled. She did like kissing him. She hadn't been too good with it at first. She never really kissed him first. She was getting used to it, and found she wanted to do it more.

"You do not have to ask permission to kiss me," Itachi said, amusement still in his voice. She shook her head and pulled herself up, pushing her lips against his. He liked kissing her too; obvious by the way he pulled her on top of him and wrapped a hand around her neck, long fingers in her hair. He pulled away from her only to pull her hair away from her neck and bury his lips in her skin, her fingers tightening in his shirt.

His hand was on her waist and he moved to grip her ass, pulling her up just a bit more, bringing her to rest right on his manhood. She let a soft mewl escape her and she pulled his head from her neck, pushing her lips to his again harshly. This was the most reaction he'd managed to get out of her like this and he was thoroughly enjoying it. He squeezed her ass and pressed her against him, another soft mewl escaping her. He was hard and she could definitely feel it. She pulled away from him, breathing harshly, and rested her head in the crook of his neck, flushed and a little bothered.

"Why do you stop?" Itachi asked, removing his hand from her bottom and brushing it over her back. He didn't really mind, was really just wondering. He didn't think she would stop him from having sex with her forever, but they had also hadn't gotten this far before.

"I'm just nervous," she laughed shakily. "You know I'm attracted to you, I won't really stop you from doing it, it just makes me a little scared I guess."

"Why?"

"Who's to say you won't be interested in me after I give it to you?" she asked, drawing back to stare at him, a little nervousness in her eyes. She had to remind herself to tell him what he wanted to know before he would flip on her again.

"That is a silly thing to think," he said, turning over so he loomed over her. "I am not interested in your body," he said, his hand on her hip. "Though it is a perk, it is not what drew me to you," he said softly, precariously close to her. "You interest me with your personality and the way you think. If your body was the only think that interested me, you would have known," he pressed a kiss to her lips and she reacted immediately, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pressing her body to his.

She was holding him tightly to her, an arm around his neck and the other wrapped around his back. He was intrigued by her reaction and wondered what had changed in the last few minutes. Had his words really had this effect on her? He couldn't really tell. Her mouth was on his neck now and he held her tighter, his fingers in her hair again. He had never felt her lips and god were they heavenly. Her hands were pulling the hair tie from his hair and it fell around them, her fingers buried in it in the next moment.

"What was that?" he asked when she finally pulled away, missing her mouth already. His tight hold didn't lessen and neither did hers. He could see that she was bothered; her face was flushed and eyes a hazy green. He wondered what would happen next and if she would allow him to continue.

"That was incredibly sweet," she murmured. "I guess I couldn't help it."

"Would you like to continue?" Sakura had a very red blush on her face and she couldn't find the voice to answer, just nodded. He attacked her lips again, his hands already moving up her body. She made no move to do the same, still rather hesitant, but she did not delay in kissing him. He pulled back and took her shirt with him, his mouth on hers again and a hand on her breast in the next moment. She reacted well, her arms holding him tightly to her. Her bra was beginning to annoy him and he slid his arms underneath her, unclasping it easily, and threw it off to the side.

Sakura finally began touching him, her small hands moving up his shirt and brushing against his skin. She pushed his shirt over his head and set her hands against his chest, just touching him. He finally pulled away from her mouth and trailed his down her neck, focusing on any spot that made her breath catch and soft mewls to escape her. He left dark marks in his wake, but he didn't care. He was too interested in going lower. She shoved her fingers into his hair when he latched onto her nipple, his hand on her other breast. She continued making soft sounds and she pulled at his hair, causing his control to slip slightly. He didn't think he liked that, how odd.

She shoved him and he was slightly confused until she crawled on top of him, her mouth on his neck now and her hands already trying to push his pants down. Whatever hesitancy she had before was gone and she was moving her wonderful mouth lower, pressing kisses to whatever skin she could reach, lower and lower. She managed to get his pants off, boxers going with it, and stared at him while she wrapped her fingers around his manhood. He watched her silently, wondering what she would do.

Then her mouth was on him and he could barely think. He pushed his hand into her hair and guided her, enjoying her mouth. She didn't seem to mind his guiding, though he knew she didn't need it. She was sucking him off quite well and he had to stop her before he blew his load too early.

She was under him again and he was fully intent on returning the favor, but she stopped him. He questioned her, but she only kissed him, his hands pushing down her pants now. This had gone on long enough and he wanted to feel her. She, obviously, had the same idea, wrapping her legs around him. He held her waist tightly and ground into her, reveling in the soft moan she produced. He pushed into her slowly, head buried in her neck, as she let out another soft moan.

Their bodies moved slowly together and his mouth was on her neck, creating more marks. He wondered, offhand, whether she would be pissed at him in the morning for this. He was too entranced with her moans and nails on his back to care much. His hands drifted to her hips, pulling back slightly and angling her to thrust deeper, causing louder moans.

"You're such a tease," she said breathlessly, eyes half closed. He smirked and rearranged her. He pulled her leg to rest on his shoulder and pushed the other to her side, beginning to thrust harder and faster. Her nails dug into his back and her moans were louder, filling his head and urging him to thrust harder.

"Am I a tease now?" he asked quietly, his rhythm continuing to increase. She could only moan in answer, her sounds becoming louder and faster, increasing with his movements. He continued thrusting harder, wishing to hear her scream. He got his wish quickly. After a particularly deep thrust, she was shrieking, her nails digging into his skin. He was sure he'd have marks after this, but she did too.

His control was slipping quickly and she didn't seem to mind, lifting her hips ever so slightly herself to cause him to thrust as deep as he could, her shrieks filling his ears. He gripped her hips tightly as he finally let go, pistoning into her until he could no longer, his grip on her hips almost bruising as he came.

"Jesus Christ," she breathed, "That's what I've been missing?" she laughed breathlessly, watching him. She finally dropped her hands from his body and he pulled out of her, releasing his grip on her hips. He fell to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her close.

"You might have marks on you," he said, smirking. She flushed.

"You might as well," she answered back after a few minutes. He nodded. He knew he did. His back ached just slightly and he knew she had scratched the hell out of him. "I'll heal it for you," she offered. He just shook his head.

"I don't mind," he said, burying his face in her neck. Oh, he was tired now. He pressed a kiss to her bruised neck and one to her cheek, earning him a smile. She was quite tired as well and he pulled her more tightly to him, wrapping his body around hers. She fell asleep quite happy, Itachi not far behind.

Sakura woke in the morning, not even five hours later, to a loud ass beeping. She hit her alarm clock after struggling to reach it. Itachi was awake, she knew it, but he was comfortable, as always, and didn't want to let her go. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and peered at the clock. She had about an hour before she had to meet Naruto and Sasuke.

"Stop moving," Itachi said when she tried to struggle out of his tight grip.

"How come you get to get up whenever you want, but I'm stuck with your arms around me until you feel like letting me go?" Sakura laughed, turning to look at him. His calm eyes stared at her and she couldn't help but flush. She was pressed to his naked body and could feel everything due to how tightly he held her. It was very pleasant, but she had to get up.

"I do not often leave you while you are sleeping," he answered quietly, "Only when I wish to make you breakfast." He really wasn't a morning person and didn't want her to leave his embrace just yet. It was too early and he just wanted to go back to sleep with her.

"I have to go, Itachi," she said, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Go to sleep and I'll be back when you wake up, okay?" she smiled at him. He sighed, finally releasing her from his grip.

"Fine." Her smile grew into a grin and she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before getting up, going to her closet to pull out her ninja outfit. She'd have to have a hurried breakfast at this point, as Itachi liked to keep her in bed longer than she liked.

She made a quick sandwich after a shower and set out, eating it on the way. Sasuke and Naruto were already waiting for her at the usual training ground. She was only a couple minutes late, but Sasuke seemed annoyed and Naruto seemed a little peeved as well. "What?" she asked instead of a greeting.

"Why were you late? And don't tell me it was Itachi," Naruto said. Sakura scoffed.

"I'm late by two minutes! You're always half an hour late because of Hinata, Naruto. We all know it's because you like to do the dirty in the shower every morning!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest. Naruto flushed and was speechless. "Now let's go, or you will have a very angry Weasel beating your asses because you made me late getting back home," she said, eyes sharp.

Their sparring session lasted longer than she expected, but she was moving slower than normal. Her body was sore in several different places. They finally stopped and Sakura sighed deeply, pulling her hair back to cool her face and neck.

"What the hell is that?!" Naruto yelled. Sakura looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"There are fucking hickeys all over your neck!" Shit, she forgot to heal them. She instantly let her hair fall, a hot flush on her face. "What the hell where you doing?!"

"What the fuck do you think, dumbass?" Sakura retorted, moving quickly to hit him upside the head. "Don't overreact, idiot, you show up with shit like this all the damn time. You have nothing to say to me." Naruto held his head and looked at her like she had dishonored his ancestors. "Don't look at me like that."

"Well, I have a mission, so I'll be off," Sasuke said, his eyes unreadable. Sakura raised her hand in farewell, still glaring holes through Naruto.

"Uh, don't you have to get back to Itachi?" Naruto asked nervously. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"You're lucky you're right, or else I'd beat your ass into the ground," she spat, turning to run off. She didn't want Itachi to show up here anymore than Naruto did. "Wait! Don't you have the same mission Sasuke has, too?!" she yelled from the entrance. Naruto yelled an 'oh shit!' and ran off himself.

Thankfully, Itachi was still sleeping when she got back home. She sighed, relieved, and went to take another shower. She didn't know why she always took a shower before going to the training grounds; she always took one after anyways.

She didn't bother with clothes when she got out, merely wrapped a towel around her waist. She was sure Itachi would glare at her if she were to put anything on. He was awake the moment she sat down and he sat up slowly, staring at her.

"What?" she asked after a long moment, wondering why he was staring at her for so long.

"You haven't healed them yet," he said, brushing his long fingers over her neck. He hadn't been completely awake the last time she'd been in his sight and he hadn't noticed them. He was kissing her neck again and she sighed, giving him a couple moments before pulling away.

"No way are you making more, Weasel," she laughed. "I already have enough to heal! You put them all the way down my chest." Itachi sighed.

"Why must you heal those?" he asked. He liked seeing his handiwork on her. It was pretty arousing and he would just make more if she healed them. Did she not understand that? He would literally cover her in marks just to make sure another man wouldn't approach her.

"I have to heal them because people will notice and think crazy shit if I don't!" she laughed. "I won't do the ones that no one can see if that'll make you happy."

"It will," he drew near to her again, a hand on her hip. "But you know I will only make more the moment you heal them," he said quietly near her ear, loving her sharp intake of breath. He loved that she was so reactive to pretty much anything he did.

"Shut up," she laughed, moving away from him again. At this point, he was getting annoyed with how she dodged him and he grabbed her waist, getting her under him, his lips on her neck. "Weasel," she laughed, "Stop! Why do you want sex already? It already happened last night."

"Perhaps I am showing you that I am still interested," he said into her ear, kissing underneath her jaw.

"You already assured me you are! You made me too sore get off of me," she was still laughing and he finally drew back. He wasn't one to take advantage if she didn't want it. He fell to her side and brought her close, burying his nose in her hair. He just loved to hold her, he really did. Her small body just fit so perfectly to his. "Weasel, its noon, aren't you hungry yet?" she asked.

"I suppose I could eat something, but I do not wish to move," he said. "This towel is annoying me as well," he tugged at the only thing covering her, but she refused to take it off.

"I take it off and I'm not getting out of this be for another three hours," she scoffed. He succeeded in pulling the towel open anyways and pulled her nude body close. He wasn't going to try anything, not now after she'd snuffed his advances, but he could partake in the pleasure of having her naked and against his skin. "Weasel," she whined, "I'm hungry. How are you not?"

"I do not know the next time I will be able to enjoy your body like this," he answered honestly. She flushed. Sure, it had taken him a few days to get her clothes off, but that didn't mean she would go back to not being able to kiss him now.

"I'm sure you'll get my clothes off tonight," she answered rolling her eyes. "Anyways," she suddenly remembered, "Ino wants to drag me out to a bar so I can buy her a drink in thanks for helping me with Shisui. I'll be drunk and you should have no issues getting me to go to bed nude." There was a dark look in Itachi's eyes.

"I don't like that."

"What? That I'm going to a bar? It's fine, Weasel. I'll break any man's hand that tries to pick me up. You're welcome to wait here for me, if you'd like."

"I'd rather not wait," he said quietly. "I prefer you come to my home. I have work to do." Sakura laughed. Of course, he wasn't pleased that she was going to a bar and so he was making her go to his house instead of coming home. It happened when he was annoyed with her, but she really didn't mind. It wasn't difficult to go to his house instead.

"Alright, Weasel. Don't worry, I'll just be wearing my ninja outfit." Good. He didn't want anyone to see Sakura looking good. He wanted to save that for himself. He hugged her tightly. She only laughed again. "You know, I never thought you were this much of a cuddler."

"Why is that?"

"You're too uppity to be physical like this," she said amused. "I thought I'd have to beg you to hold me or I'd have to wrap myself around you instead. I was very wrong." Sakura sighed. She enjoyed it, she really did. He wasn't affectionate in public, but she really didn't mind. The extreme amount of affection she received in private was more than enough.

"I apologize, I suppose, for not being what you thought."

"That's not what I meant, Itachi, and you know it. You knew I'm affectionate as hell before you tried to date me. I didn't think you were." Sakura just laughed at this point. He didn't understand what she was saying and she thought it was pretty cute.

"You do not know someone just by looking at them."

"Then tell me something I don't know," she said, turning to look at him, warmth in her eyes. This would be a great time to tell her about his nightmares. He weighed it in his head for a moment, wondering if that was too deep. She was waiting, though, and so decided to tell her.

"I have nightmares when I do not sleep with you," he said, not looking at her. He didn't want to, didn't know how she would take this news. That was the entire reason alone that he refused to sleep without her anymore. It was why he came to seek her out when she worked too long in the hospital or requested she come to his house.

"Oh?" she was worried. He had made her worry and he didn't like it. She brushed her hand across his cheek. "What are they about?"

"I was forced into ANBU at a young age. It takes a toll on your psyche," he said simply. There was no real rhyme or reason behind his nightmares. They were just a flipping memory book of the things he'd been pushed into. He thought that, maybe, he'd been doing this for too long.

"Well, I'm here to keep them away," she said, smiling sweetly. He nodded and kissed her, enjoying that she did not hesitate. "Now, we really need to get some lunch," she said, her stomach rumbling. He sighed. He supposed they should. He was feeling hungry as well, but had just enjoyed her body against his way too much.

He released his hold and watched her get up. She began throwing his clothes at him. "You know, you really need to just keep some clothes here at this point. If you're going to be sleeping with me every night, it's only the smart thing to do," she shook her head as she began pulling her own clothes on.

"I suppose that's an idea," he said. He really hadn't thought of it, was just more interested in having her next to him every night. He waited for her to finish getting ready before heading for the door. They weren't going to cook; he would rather buy her something right now. They rarely went out together.

"Oh, I have to go shopping," she sighed while they were walking down the street, thinking of where to go for lunch. "I ruined something yesterday caring for Shisui." It didn't bother her, not really, but she really didn't like shopping. It just wasn't something she enjoyed.

"Did you want to visit him?"

"I'm sure he's already been discharged," she shrugged. "I'll check on him after lunch and bring him leftovers." Itachi only nodded. That was good enough for him. "After I go shopping of course," she huffed. If she was already out, she may as well get something done. They stopped outside a restaurant and she guessed Itachi had decided on it.

They were sat rather quickly, the hostess smiling broadly at Itachi. The man didn't seem to notice, or care, so Sakura didn't make a big deal out of it. She didn't want to. He only seemed interested in her as he leaned his elbows on the table and watched her.

"So what do you want?" Sakura asked, pulling her menu towards her. It was a vegetarian place; of course, Itachi really didn't seem to like meat. "Why don't you like meat?" she asked before she could think about it.

"I don't like the texture. The taste does not do much for me either." Sakura nodded. She had only been curious and he didn't mind answering any and all of her questions. She decided pretty quickly and closed her menu, leaning her chin on her hand after. She liked walking him. He was perpetually calm and his eyes were often gentle and calm. He did things with great care and always so gracefully. He was different than she, who was so violent and had the grace of a dog falling over itself.

There was a comfortable silence as they waited for their food. It was nice. Sakura didn't feel the need to talk and he didn't seem to mind. She sighed and stretched her arms above her head, noticing that his eyes followed her movement.

"Why were you watching me?" she asked, smiling and she leaned on the table.

"The reason should be obvious," he said, matching her gaze.

"Maybe I want you to tell me," she smiled at him. Why would she want him to tell her something she already knew? He didn't care; he would rather just make her happy.

"Perhaps I am thinking of what you look like without your clothes," he said. Sakura laughed and he fixed her with a confused look. She couldn't help the laugh that came again and flushed when the waitress caught her laughing. She only placed their plates in front of them and walked away. Itachi looked after the woman, pretty unimpressed.

"Sorry, I forgot how blatant you are," Sakura said after she finally calmed down. She took a bite of her veggie burger. She'd just been feeling that way today.

"I do not understand how you forget that," Itachi said, taking a bite of his salad. Itachi ate a lot of salads, as she found. He often brought one for her if she had eaten breakfast. If she hadn't, he would bring her some sort of chicken or beef. He said she needed the protein if she hadn't eaten breakfast. He was an interesting man, definitely.

"I don't know," she sighed, taking another bite. She swallowed before continuing, "You're just interesting," she shrugged. "You have to realize you don't really show yourself to anyone but those closest to you. I haven't been in that category until recently. I am the one that shows my true colors all the time. It isn't necessarily bad that you don't, it just means I have so much to learn about you," she took another bite while waiting for his answer.

"I agree. However, though you show your personality from the moment you meet someone, you are still endlessly interesting," he said. She looked confused and he guessed her next question. "You seem to have a different shade of emotion for everything. I still have not identified them all. I am not sure I ever will." He took a few bites of his salad while Sakura thought of what to say next.

"I didn't know that about myself," she said, shrugging. "Ninety percent of what I feel is either happiness or uncontrollable anger where I want to put someone through a wall." Her words got a smirk out of him and she smiled in return.

"I can assure you that is not all you feel," he had a clearly amused tone. She only laughed. She was almost finished with her burger and the same was to be said for his salad. The waitress came by again and Itachi asked for the check.

"Why are you paying?" Sakura asked, amusement in her eyes, "You always bring me food, why can't I pay every once in a while?"

"Because I am a gentleman," he said, though there was a slight tone of sarcasm over his voice. Sakura scoffed and pulled the check from him, laying down the money. He only shook his head. Sometimes Sakura would get her way with him. Alright, most of the time she would. He could not say no to her, except if she pissed him off too much.

"Alright, should we meet back at your house after I'm done with Ino?" she asked. She really didn't expect him to follow her to the shop and back to her house, only to watch her cook something for Shisui.

"Yes."

"Okay," she smiled up at him. Seriously, why did he have to be so damn tall, "I'll see you later," she said, unsure of what to do. They hadn't said goodbye anywhere but in private, so she was a little out of sorts. Itachi reached for her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, the smallest smile imaginable on his face before he turned and walked away. Sakura smiled at him for a moment before turning towards where she had to go.

* * *

"Shisui?" she called as she walked in the door.

"Is that a little Sakura I hear?" Shisui called from his bedroom. He was in the living room a few minutes later, a huge smile on his face.

"You look better than yesterday," she smiled, holding out a plate to him. He grinned when he saw what it was. She had made him some of her lemon chicken and pasta. It was his favorite dish of hers. She rarely made it.

"It's all thanks to you, Sak," he said, giving her a one armed hug. He sat on his couch and looked at her, expecting her to join him.

"I can't stay long. I have to go to Ino's house soon."

"Oh, that makes me sad. You know I miss your company you know," he grinned at her. "I miss you on missions, too. I've never come back like yesterday, you know. Itachi's been taking up too much of your time."

"Itachi has managed to convince me to get in a relationship with him." Shisui coughed and spluttered, Sakura hitting his back a couple times. He finally managed to swallow and stared at her for a moment, completely surprised still.

"What the hell? I knew he found you interesting, but I didn't think he would actually do something!" Shisui was almost yelling at this point. This was too weird. Itachi in a relationship? Sakura admitting her feelings and allowing herself to be in said relationship? What, were dogs and cats about to actually rain from the fucking sky?

"Itachi is persistent," she sighed. "He sort of didn't let me say no. I mean, it isn't bad. He's really affectionate and he makes me laugh a lot. I finally stopped pushing him away when he kisses me, so I mean that's good. It's just weird to be in a relationship after all this time."

"I take that you've already told Sasuke and Naruto," Shisui said, his surprise dying down. "How did that go down?"

"Surprisingly well. Sasuke got pissed and walked off. Naruto was a little surprised and ran after Sasuke, but he really wasn't that angry. Sasuke came back yesterday morning and started asking why I didn't choose him instead. Of course I was just like no, Sasuke, you don't love me you just think you do, and he simmered down a little more."

"Sounds like a Sasuke thing to do," Shisui said, taking the last bite of his food. He handed the plate back to Sakura. "Well, enjoy your night with Ino."

"You should meet her at some point, you know? She saved your life. Maybe you'll like her," Sakura said, standing up.

"My dear Sakura, don't you know you're the only one for me?" Shisui asked, a big smile on his face.

"Yeah, let Weasel hear you say that and you'll have your face in the ground," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "Ino's not that bad, you know."

"Fine, fine. I'll go out and find her one of these days. She's blonde with blue eyes right?" Sakura nodded. "I'll introduce myself and thank her for saving my life. Then I'll ask her on a date," Shisui grinned and Sakura only scoffed.

"See you later, shithead," she said, opening his door.

"Love you too!" She shook her head as she closed the door. Shisui was really something. She sighed and went to her apartment, washing the plate, and then getting on her way. She wasn't going to wear anything special on the night out, but Ino would definitely be looking pretty nice. She liked to get dressed up for the chance to get laid, but Sakura really didn't need it anymore. Not that she would have before, though.

"Oh, you remembered," Ino said when she answered the door. "I thought I'd have to drag you out by your hair," she stepped to the side and let Sakura come in. Sakura shrugged when Ino turned.

"I figured, so I didn't. I figured you'd want me to watch you get ready or whatever so I'm here early." Sakura was quite less girly than Ino was, but that didn't mean she couldn't be around for it. Ino would be upset if she wasn't.

"You're getting dressed up too," Ino said as she led her to her bedroom. Sakura sat on her bed and rolled her eyes.

"I have to go to Itachi's later. If I show up looking like a slut, he's going to be pissed," she said flatly. "You do realize he is the scariest ninja this village has and he will be out for blood if anyone hits on me, right?"

"How will he know if anyone hits on you?" Ino asked, already pulling outfits out of her closet.

"If he sees me dressed like that, he's just going to assume. He's already pretty annoyed that I'm going to a bar and will invariably be hit on, so I don't need to annoy him more."

"Jesus, you sound like an abused wife," Ino deadpanned, laying out the clothes on her bed.

"Maybe I don't want to be hit on anyways, Ino. I'm completely fine in my ninja outfit, what's a problem with that?" she asked, annoyed. She could go to a restaurant in this, she had no problem going to a bar in it. Ino scoffed and picked up a dress.

"How about this?"

"That is strapless and way too short."

"What, are you a nun?"

"I'm trying to avoid a fight with a very overprotective and possessive man that happens to be my boyfriend. He'll come after you as well if he finds out you dressed me in that," Sakura sighed. "Just choose something and forget about getting me into something that would make my mother roll in her grave."

"Ugh, you're such a party pooper. Fine. You win," Ino picked up the dress herself. She would wear it if her friend wouldn't. She changed in front of her, not really caring, and Sakura just fell back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Can I at least put makeup on you?"

"Nope."

"Why don't you do anything fun?"

"Because I am a 'party pooper,'" Sakura deadpanned. "What does it matter anyways? At least you're getting me to go out with you. You know how often that happens." It hardly ever did. Sakura didn't like going out. She preferred having her friends over with a few beers in hand.

"You're right," Ino sighed, finally pulling the dress over her head. Sakura had been right. The damn thing was way too short and it clung to her friends' curves. She was sure Itachi would have pounced her if she were to wear it, but not before questioning her about why she wore something like that to a bar.

Sakura waited for her to go to the bathroom and do her makeup, staring at the ceiling until she returned. How did it take her so long to put makeup on? She didn't understand, at all. Ino finally came back after twenty minutes, pulling her hair up into a simple ponytail.

"Are you finally ready now?" Sakura asked. It was already six. It wasn't that late in the night, she was just teasing her friend really.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Ino said, going to her closet again to get her shoes. "You know I'm hoping to dance with someone tonight right?"

"Then I'll sit at the bar and drink while you do that," Sakura rolled her eyes. She wasn't one for dancing either, but Ino would rope her into it until a guy came up that she would rather focus on. Sakura didn't care much, she'd just promised her a free drink. "Let's go." She pushed herself off the bed and followed her out the door.

The night was cool and crisp and Sakura quite enjoyed it. It wasn't nearly as cold as it usually was and there wouldn't be many more nights like this. She would miss it the moment it was over and she knew it.

"Here," Ino said. They'd walked quite a while. They used to go to the bar near Ino's apartment, but the regulars there no longer interested her. Lately, well whenever the girl could get her to come out, they went to a different bar every time.

Music filtered through the place, though it wasn't so loud that Sakura couldn't think. She headed straight for the bar, Ino right behind her and sat down, grabbing the barman's attention pretty easily. As promised, Sakura paid for her drink.

"This place has good drinks," Ino said, downing hers. It always confused Sakura with how the woman could finish a drink so quickly. Probably because the taste of alcohol no longer bothered her like it did Sakura. That was the only possible reason she could think of. Sakura just sipped her own.

"You're right. It's pretty good." It was a fruity concoction of some sort that was definitely ripe with alcohol. She wasn't planning on getting black out drunk tonight, so she would have to go slow. Ino wouldn't notice after she got a few more in her.

"Don't you know me yet, Sakura?" Ino grinned. "I'm not about to drag you anywhere you'd hate."

"I do remember this one time we went to a dive bar and every guy in the place was trying to have a threesome with you and me," Sakura said, raising a brow. "I also remember another bar where the guys were a little too pushy and I put a couple of them through a wall for you. Did you forget those?"

"Oh shut up, Sakura," Ino laughed her off. "Those times just made great memories, don't you think?"

"I think it got me a few lectures from Tsunade about how her prized student shouldn't be getting arrested because of a bar fight," Sakura said flatly, sipping her drink again. She really was enjoying it and Ino had ordered another one, going quite a bit slower this time around. Sakura didn't have to tell her what would happen if she drank too fast. She had gotten enough of those talks.

"Well, I stopped bringing you to them, didn't I?" Ino grinned.

"I would prefer if you never brought me to them."

"So have you told Itachi about any of these bar stories?" Ino asked, leaning close. God, she already smelled like booze. Sakura didn't particularly like that scent.

"Do you want to see me in the morning?" Sakura asked incredulously. Seriously, she thought Itachi wouldn't have let her out of his sight if he knew what happened before. Sakura and Ino were pretty infamous in bars for the past things they got themselves into. "Look," she nodded towards a good looking guy across the bar. "You like him? He looks like you can ask him to dance." She'd noticed he'd been staring at Ino for the past couple of minutes.

"You're the best wingwoman ever," Ino said, a smile on her face. "Watch my drink?" Sakura nodded, waving her off. She was blissfully alone for a good fifteen minutes, watching Ino seduce the guy across the bar and slowly sipping her drink, when some stupid fuck sat down next to her and attempted to start a conversation.

"I've never seen you around here before," he was rather cute, but Sakura wasn't really interested. She supposed she could humor him before letting him down easy. She could get pretty bored once Ino found her bed partner for the night.

"I don't make it a habit to come here," she answered loftily, ordering another of the same drink. It was pretty good and she wasn't the biggest on alcohol.

"You should. I'd like to see you around here more often," the guy was smiling at her now, a certain gleam in his eyes. "Would you like to dance? Your friend's out there," he nodded to Ino, who had managed to nab the guy and was provocatively dancing with him.

"I don't dance, dude," she said flatly.

"Are you sure?" he leaned close to her and she flashed him a dangerous glare. That didn't seem to do much either.

"Perchance, do you know who I am?" she asked, a sickeningly sweet tone in her voice.

"Should I?" he was still smiling, still not understanding her signals. She smiled at him and leaned in close to his ear.

"I'm Sakura. I can break your hand in about two seconds and I'll put you through a wall if you don't leave me alone," she whispered in his ear. The guy instantly froze and she couldn't get the look of his face out of her mind when she pulled away. She smiled sweetly and turned back to her drink as he got up quickly and went to annoy a different poor woman.

Sakura was alone again and kind of bored. She watched Ino dance with the guy she'd picked up for a while and made her way through a couple more drinks before deciding it was enough. She looked at the clock and saw it was about nine now. She could leave and Ino wouldn't miss her. She got up from her stool and left enough money for her drinks and made her way through the crowd to her friend.

"Hey," she said, placing her hand on Ino's shoulder. She turned around, giving her a wide smile. "I'm heading out. I'm tired," and no doubt Itachi would keep her up for a while with the way he was acting that morning.

"Alright, I'll see you soon!" Ino said, giving her a quick hug. Sakura smiled in farewell and was on her way out, shivering as the cold hit her. It had definitely gotten quite a bit chillier since she'd last been outside. Wanting to warm up, she set off in a run towards Itachi's house.

"I thought you wouldn't be here until later," he said when she showed up in the doorway.

"I can leave and come back you know," she said with a short laugh. That had just the reaction she expected.

"No," he said, pulling himself from his desk. He seemed to have gotten a lot of work done. He always had a metric shit ton of paperwork to do, even more than she had. Half the time she wondered how he got it all done. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss that she returned immediately. "You taste like alcohol."

"I was at a bar, what do you expect?" she asked, wrapping her own arms around his neck. "I'm not too drunk, at least, be happy about that."

"Did anyone hit on you?"

"Oh yeah, someone always does," she laughed. "He asked me to dance. I asked him if he knew who I was and then proceeded to scare the shit out of him. Ino, meanwhile, found her latest man-slave for the next couple weeks." Itachi nodded, not really knowing what to say. "I'm ready for bed, though," she yawned. Coupled with not getting enough sleep before her day had definitely made her more exhausted.

"I will join you in bed after a shower," Itachi said. "You are welcome to find clothes to change into." He would tell her to start keeping some clothes here, too, but he liked seeing her in his clothes too much. She only nodded and let him go. She went to his dresser while he took a shower.

As always, he was done quickly, climbing into bed next to her. She had the TV on and was watching it, her eyes glazed over. The alcohol had definitely made her a bit more tired. He drew her close and realized she was only wearing an oversized shirt.

"Won't you be cold?" he asked, uncertain.

"You keep me warm enough," she smiled. "Anyways, you like seeing me in your clothes and I didn't wear a provocative dress for you to get me out of, so this is the next best thing," she grinned when she turned to him.

"You were planning for me to get you out of this?" he asked skeptically. Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"Probably not right now. I'm a little drunk and you're smarter than to have half drunk sex," she giggled. She was certainly giggly with a bit of alcohol in her. "I was more so planning for the morning." She didn't know about him, but she thought it was a pretty good plan.

"Ah. In that case, I suppose you are right." She was a little fun to talk to when she was like this, but he wasn't really planning on getting her drunk himself. She smiled and maneuvered to face him, brushing her hand along his chest.

"You know you're great, right Itachi?"

"I suppose," he answered, not really knowing where this was going. She only smiled and fidgeted a little more, letting herself sink comfortably into his bed. It was just a little softer than her own bed and she absolutely loved it, especially when Itachi was there with her. He watched her fall asleep, taking a little bit longer than normal, and gazed at her sleeping face. She still looked so innocent.

He watched what she had put on, not quite tired yet. He wasn't too happy that she had gotten hit on, but he knew she could deal with it. He knew it was just his possessiveness that caused him to feel this way, but he didn't want to come off too overbearing. She didn't seem to mind it, though, so he wasn't too worried about it.

He managed to fall asleep not long after her, enjoying her choice of dress more than she knew.

* * *

 **Who even likes GaaSaku anymore?  
**

 **jk i do.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Fun fact about me: I upload these before I go to bed.**

 **If you're fast enough you'll see my line markers before I can delete them. I'm an idiot and don't do them right after I upload them.**

 **I shut everything down and go to bed and then go OH FUCK DAMNIT I GOTTA FIX THAT.**

 **So for the first hour or so it's just my word line markers. Not anything exciting, just my process of stupidity.**

* * *

"Christ, Itachi, I have to get back to work!" They had been fighting, as was usual for the couple. It was a few months in and they were ready to start fighting in the middle of the hospital at this point. He just pissed her off so much.

"You have been here ten hours," he said, eyes dark. He wasn't about to go to bed without her. This was the usual fight between them and whenever they had it, people would give them a wide berth. They didn't want to cross either person's path during or after.

"I'm still not done, Itachi! What do you want from me? I'm the only person here that can do this job and I'm stuck here crazy hours because of that! I'm sorry!" There was fire in her eyes and her hand was on the door. He clenched his hands, trying to calm himself. He didn't like it when they fought, but she didn't want to come home and go to bed half the time. She would crawl in with him at three in the morning and would be up at the break of dawn, making him let her go.

"I want you to come to bed with me," he said blankly. "You have not been with me more than three hours in the past two weeks." She didn't see anything wrong with that, but he really did. He didn't want her to be here all the time just like she didn't want him to take solo missions. She hardly had a day off lately and he was missing her.

"Go to bed without me. I'll be there later," she said, trying to pull open the door. Itachi was behind her in a moment, keeping her from opening it. She was about to start using her strength if he continued pissing her off like this.

"It is already ten. You'll be there at three again and gone at six," he said. He was going to have to resort to his final tactic, one he didn't use often with her. She responded to him quite well when he spoke his mind, showing her that he missed her in one way or another. She would break down at that point and he was close, so close to resorting to it if she didn't give in soon.

"I still have work to do," she said harshly. "I'm sorry that I cannot spend as much time with you as in the past, but there are things I have to do."

"You can do these things on a normal time schedule."

"You think it's so easy?" She whirled around, her eyes blazing and definitely about to put him through a wall. "I don't have anyone else to give this work to like you do! I have to do this shit all by myself and it's hard enough without you coming in here demanding I go to bed every night!" She went to turn back to the door, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her to his body, his arms tight around her.

"You do not realize that I miss you. I miss talking to you and your scent, the way you press your body to mine even if you are angry with me. I do not enjoy going through the nightmares that come back when you are not next to me." This was his final resort. His words were quiet and murmured in her ear, trying to make her see that he just wanted her next to him. "You have not had a day off in three weeks. I do not like when I am lacking your company for that long." Sakura sighed. She had given in to him.

"Are you going to let me get up in the morning?"

"You know the answer to that," he said softly, taking the chance to bury his mouth in her neck. She reacted instantaneously, her fingers tightening in his shirt and her body freezing in his grip. It had been too long since they'd been intimate and she was definitely feeling the effects now, what with his little attention.

"Itachi—" she had to stop, she couldn't think anymore. He had pulled her body flush against his and was sucking on a sensitive spot on her neck. Oh, how she wanted to punch him for this, but it felt so nice. She wrapped her arms around him, fingertips digging into his shoulders. He knew what he was doing to her and she knew he was only doing it to make her say yes to him.

"Come home with me," he murmured against her skin. He knew he had managed to wear her down. She had gone down the moment he'd gotten her in his arms. By that point she was screwed and she didn't even know it.

"Fine," she sighed. He had picked her up in the next moment and escaped the hospital. That had been surprisingly easily, usually she would put up just a bit more of a fight. Perhaps she missed him as well and just didn't want to admit it. Getting Sakura to admit anything was pretty damn difficult, so he wouldn't doubt that she did.

He let her down in his bedroom and nudged her off towards the bathroom. She seemed rather tired and sluggish now, moving slowly and carefully. He had no doubt that she was tired. She had been working long, long hours lately and she hadn't been sleeping very well. It worried him and bothered him to no end.

He stretched out in bed to wait for her and she came back about twenty minutes later looking quite sleepy. He pulled her down next to him easily and brought her close, hugging her tightly to his chest. He had missed her touch for so long because she was always working. He would need to have a talk with Tsunade about this. He got pretty grouchy when Sakura wasn't with him for an extended period of time and she was obviously stressed out. The last mission she'd been on was the one with him.

"I'm tired," she yawned, pressing her forehead to his chest.

"I know," he said, brushing his hand over her back. He was putting her on a quick route to sleep and she couldn't fight it. She had hardly slept lately and once she was in his arms and against his warm body, she could do nothing but sleep. "Sleep, Sakura." He could tell she was trying to keep herself awake a little longer. He could always tell.

"Okay, baby," she murmured, letting her eyes slide close. He liked it when she called him that. He didn't like that he had to go through an annoying ass fight to get her here and get that out of her, but he supposed he really didn't mind all that much. She was the only person he wanted to spend time with and he had steadily become grouchier throughout the days and weeks she hadn't really been around. With any luck, he could convince her to stay home with him for a couple days.

He finally got the sleep he needed after countless nights of troubling nightmares.

He, surprisingly, was awake before her. She was still sleeping on his chest, which confused him. Usually she would move during the night and he would end up spooning her, his arms tight around her. She was still dead asleep and he wondered how that could be. They had been asleep at least nine hours now; she would never sleep more than seven and a half. He had figured this out after so long sleeping in the same bed.

He jostled her while he got out of bed, intent on making her breakfast, and she finally stirred. He waited until her eyes fluttered open. She moaned and curled up in a little ball. Now he was more than worried. He had never seen her sleep longer than normal and now she was acting weird as well. She would reach for his hand if he woke her and beg him to come back to bed. She did neither, only wrapped her arms around her stomach and let out a pained groan.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting next to her. She shook her head. Hell did she know? "Have you been feeling ill all night?" Itachi was quite a heavy sleeper when he wasn't on a mission and having her next to him didn't help matters. She wouldn't wake him unless she was really struggling out of his grasp. She could get out easily if she moved quickly enough.

"I think it's a stomach bug," she said miserably. "I might have gotten it from one of the kids that have been coming through with it recently."

"You wouldn't be sick if you rested yourself," he said, raising a brow. Sakura managed to send him a glare before groaning again and curling herself tighter into her little ball.

"You don't have to be mean about it you know," Sakura muttered.

"I apologize," he said, brushing his hands down her back soothingly. "However, I am going to talk to Tsunade about this."

"Why?" she asked, her sharp eyes catching him. Funny how she could be sick and angry at the same time. He could usually do nothing but lie in bed and hide.

"I do not like that you're sick in my bed," he said, leaning down to pull her into his arms. He cradled her, brushing his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her. It was bad enough that she was feeling terrible, he didn't want to leave her now. "You've gotten sick because you are stressed and tired because of a workload that is too much for one person. I doubt Tsunade knows how much work is put on you." She was silent, which was a sure sign that he was right. If he hadn't been, she would have told him quickly.

"I'm fine," her voice was tiny.

"You have not been able to accept a mission in three months. You are tired and worn out. You cannot stop me from doing this." No one had really worried over her like this before and it was new and slightly frightening. No one else had threatened to go so far as to talk to Tsunade about her working habits and she really didn't want anyone to anyways. If she didn't do it, who else was there? No one could do what she did, save for Tsunade and Shizune and those two were always busy in the tower. Sakura had managed to turn the hospital around by herself, but the long hours turned into longer hours. It just got a little out of her control. It would be fine. There would be a day she wouldn't be needed so much, but today wasn't that day.

"Don't, Itachi," she managed to make her voice sound stronger than it was. "I'm fine, okay? I don't need you to talk to Tsunade for me or anything. It's just how it's always been. The hospital wasn't too well off before I came along to fix it."

"I don't care what you say," he said darkly. "Your days are being taken advantage of and you are working yourself too hard. You cannot sway my mind now; it has already been made up." Sakura was quickly becoming angry with him, why didn't he ever listen to her? He would never take into account what she had to say and would instead just force his decisions on her. It was infuriating and she hated it to the depths of her heart.

"Why don't you listen?" she asked, her voice strangled in her anger. "I'm fine! I don't need a big, bad Uchiha to go and fight what he thinks are my battles!"

"Sakura," she stopped, anger forgotten, at the emotion he'd shown in his voice. This was how he got through to her most of the time. She wouldn't respond to his monotonous words and even tones half the time and he would have to begin showing the emotion he felt to get her to listen to him. "I don't like fighting with you. I don't like seeing you sick either," his voice was so soft, so worried. She instantly felt terrible that she had tried to pick a fight over this. "I only wish for you to be with me and be healthy at the same time, that is all. This is not healthy for you and it worries me endlessly."

Sakura didn't know what to say, not at all. It wasn't often Itachi would actually tell her how he felt. She knew he used the 'I miss you' tactic on her when she would refuse to go home with him and she let him believe it worked. She didn't like fighting with him either. "Fine, Itachi," she finally said, her voice so soft he barely heard her.

"You're a difficult woman to be with," he said, amusement in his voice.

"You're difficult too," she muttered. She tightened her arms over her stomach. "I'm going to puke." He let her out of his hold and she ran to the bathroom. He blocked out the noise of her retching, not wanting her to think that he was listening. He knew she'd be mortified. He waited patiently and heard a soft groan. Thinking that was high time he checked on her, he went to the bathroom. She was leaning on the toilet, the lid closed, and her head on it. She looked pretty flushed underneath the bright lights and she didn't look too happy. "I've been doing that since four am," she said, voice hoarse.

He stooped and wrapped an arm around her waist, slowly hoisting her up and helping her to the sink so she could brush her teeth. She shot him a grateful look and did as such, leaning heavily on the sink. He helped her back to bed and laid her down easily. He brushed his hand along her arm and pulled the blankets over her. "I am going to make myself something to eat."

"Okay," she said softly, her eyes closed. He really was worried about her and knew she needed something to drink. He thought something with mint or ginger would be the best for her right now, what with her stomach problems. He went to the kitchen and made a quick breakfast of an egg sandwich, making her tea and returning to her.

"Here," he said, helping her up. She took the mug from him gratefully and just held it for a long moment, waiting for it to cool down. He only watched her, sitting across from her and eating his sandwich. She finally took a slow sip of her tea and smiled thinly.

"Ginger? Thank you,"

"I thought it would be good for your stomach." She nodded. She knew she was hungry and should try and eat something, but she wasn't sure she would keep it down. She'd been throwing up about every two hours or so. The moment Itachi finished his breakfast; she reached for him, just wanting to be held. She felt so terrible. She was rather upset when he didn't come to her.

"I'm going to speak to Tsunade," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair and she smiled. He stood and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Try and sleep. I'll be back soon." She nodded. He took the tea from her hands and gently pushed her down into the pillows, pulling the blankets tighter around her. Then he was off.

* * *

"What do you mean she's sick?" Tsunade yelled, her honey colored eyes enraged. "She can't be sick! This is Sakura we're speaking about. She's always fine!" The news was the only real thing that was causing her to yell, her shock and astonishment unable to come out any other way.

"Sakura has been working too hard," Itachi said. Tsunade thought his eyes looked dangerous and he was obviously pretty peeved about the fact she was sick. "I, personally, have not spent much time with her in the last few weeks. She has become scarcer as the months progressed. She has become likely to stay at the hospital until three am and sleep for mere hours before returning to work herself more. She is stressed and tired which made her more perceptible to the stomach virus she has contracted." Tsunade was speechless for a moment. When the hell did Itachi start saying so much?

"I haven't seen her lately, but I thought she was busy with you," Tsunade said, setting her head on her hands. The news had filtered around the village by now that Itachi and Sakura were a couple and she had expected to see less of her student knowing that.

"I have rarely seen her, either. It is frustrating." Tsunade fought the urge to laugh. Apparently Sakura was rubbing off on the Uchiha. He had never stated before how something was 'frustrating' or anything of the like.

"Well, make her take a break or something."

"She will not. I may be able to keep her away for a couple days, but that is only because she is sick. There is much to do at the hospital and she already has enough work without letting it pile up. Those are her words exactly." Itachi was silently telling Tsunade that she had to come up with a solution and soon, before Sakura worked herself to death. Itachi would be extremely angry if this happened again.

"I'll see if I can make some chuunins go to work at the hospital," Tsunade sighed. "Not many medics have the skills Sakura does, so I will be there to train them to help her. I had no idea this was happening."

"I had a feeling," he said flatly. "Sakura will not say when she is too stressed."

"Sakura won't say a lot," Tsunade said, looking blearily down at her paperwork. "It's a problem. She thinks she shouldn't say anything because people will think her weak for not being able to take care of her workload."

"She has those tendencies. It takes a great amount of force to make her come home." It wasn't that she didn't want to come home; it was more along the lines of that there was almost always something to do. She could go on for days if he didn't drag her away.

"Then you have my word that I'll do something," Tsunade said. Itachi nodded. "So, I had a mission for you, but should I give it to Shisui instead?"

"Would you like to tell Sakura I will not be with her while she is sick?" he left without her answer, leaving her to laugh in his wake. What the hell happened to Itachi?

Sakura wasn't sleeping when he got home and he wondered why. She needed rest. She was just staring at a book, obviously not even able to really read it, and she looked to him when he entered the room.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"You weren't here," she said softly. Though it was sweet of her to say, she really needed rest. She could see the annoyed look in his eye and she sighed. "You've been sleeping next to me for months. What do you expect? You say the same thing," she pouted.

"Have you vomited again?"

"Yeah," she didn't look too happy about it. He wouldn't be happy about it either if it was him instead. He sighed and climbed next to her, letting her press her body to him the way she wanted. He plucked the book from her hands and began to read it himself. She was asleep a few minutes later, thankfully.

He spent his day in bed with her, just reading and helping her to the bathroom when she needed it, getting her whatever she told him to. She drank a lot of tea and he figured it was because she was in danger of dehydrating with all the vomiting she was doing. She broke out in a mild fever and chills halfway through the day, but it had broken by the night. She seemed to be feeling better by about eight, but she still seemed so tired.

"I haven't thrown up in four hours," she said, mild happiness in her voice. "I think I might be able to stomach something." Itachi waited for her to tell him what she wanted and she took a long minute to do so. "I don't think there's anything here that'll upset it too much, so just do what you do best." Helpful.

"Alright," he said anyways, carefully disentangling himself from her. He had enjoyed spending the entire day in bed with her, even though it had been because she'd been so sick. It was an uncommon thing and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He had yet to tell her what Tsunade said, but her mind had been addled by sickness. He hadn't been sure if she would remember what he'd said or not.

He brought her back a simple salad, and she smiled when he placed it in her lap. She had another mug of tea on the nightstand. She'd gone through about six of them throughout the day, but he'd been glad she'd drink something. She ate silently for a few minutes, Itachi just watching her, checking her over. Her flush was gone and her fever had been going down steadily for the past few hours. She didn't look completely well yet, but another day and she'd be fine.

"What did Tsunade say by the way?" she asked, suddenly remembering that Itachi had gone to talk to her that morning.

"She had no idea that you were being worked to death. I did not think she would know. You do not tell people anything for them to remedy it." Sakura flushed darkly and looked down at her food.

"I can manage it just fine," she said, though he knew she was pouting.

"You cannot manage it all on your own," he said, watching her with a sharp stare. "You have spent all day in bed sick because of all the work that is put on you. It is alright to ask for help, Sakura. You do not have to wait for my anger to build enough for me to do something." Sakura's flush only grew darker and she paused in eating. He had something wrong and he knew it. He knew he should apologize, too, before she began fighting with him again because he had hurt her feelings. He didn't say a word, though, knowing he should have.

"I don't need you to do things for me," she said, glaring at the bedspread.

"Hush, Sakura. That is not how I meant it and you know it." Just as quickly as it came, her anger left her. She was just too tired to have petty fights with him.

"I have to stop fighting with you," she sighed. "It gets me nowhere and it's stupid as hell anyways." Everyone was so used to them fighting now and she didn't like it. They would end up going their separate ways soon if she didn't just let her pride rest. Itachi was just a caring man and most of her fights with him revolved around how she wasn't caring for herself. She was hardheaded and stubborn; it took her a while for her to admit she was wrong.

"As I told you three months ago, there are many things both of us will have to get used to," Itachi reminded her. She nodded, still not looking at him. She had managed to get used to his kisses and his touches, but his worrying and caring over her and not allowing her to shove him away was taking a little longer.

"Has your father said anything about marriage?" Sakura asked. That had been another thing they'd been fighting about. His father was trying to push him to meet women within the clan and choose them to be his wife. Sakura wasn't ready to take a marriage proposal from him, she wasn't even sure if she loved him! She had hated the marriage meetings though, and fought with him about it even knowing that he couldn't really get out of it.

"He has put it to rest for now. I hope you know he won't put it off forever," Itachi said. His father had been pushing for him to become head of the family very soon because he had become such a prominent member of the village and it was more than time to take that step. However, he first had to have a wife and a first child, preferably male. Itachi knew Sakura wasn't ready to commit to something like that and had been trying to spare her the experience, but she had still found something to fight with him over the whole thing.

"Do you think sometimes that we're just fooling ourselves?" Sakura asked quietly. She still hadn't finished her meal and the worried eyes of Itachi were watching her. He didn't know where this was going, but a terrible feeling was beginning to grow in his chest, spreading ice through his body. He didn't like what she was saying, not at all. "I mean do you think your father is going to approve of me if we get to that point?" He didn't like the way she worded that, didn't at all. She made up his whole world at this point and he didn't see it changing anytime soon.

"This is not something to worry over now, Sakura," he said quietly, evenly. "I have put him off and I will continue to do so until you decide either that I am not worth your time or that you would like to marry me and bear my children." Sakura flushed, staring down at her food. Her appetite seemed to have flown away with the changing of the subject.

"Do you love me, Itachi?" she asked quietly. He was surprised. It had been three months, should they really be talking about this now? He didn't know whether it was too soon or not, he really didn't have any knowledge of relationships. He supposed he did and couldn't lie to her, though. Why would he?

"I suppose I do," he said, wondering why she still refused to look at him. "I should pose you the same question," he said. He was interested to know. He didn't know her feelings towards him, not really. She liked sleeping with him and kissing him, he knew that much, but didn't know if she couldn't live without him or could see a future with him.

"I have to say I do," she smiled thinly. She finally, finally began eating her salad again. The ice was gone from his chest and he was relieved that she'd begun eating again. When she was upset, her appetite seemed to leave immediately. "Do you think I'll marry you?" she asked. Why was she asking him? He didn't know what she would say should he propose!

"I would like to think you will," he said after a long minute of trying to think of something to say. Sakura nodded, thinking again. He waited until she had something to say again. He thought they were an odd couple. There was a lot of silence and awkward conversations, many fights and long silences while they tried to answer the difficult statements of the other. It was an odd relationship, but he didn't want a different one. If things were too easy, then he'd be worried.

"I don't know," she sighed, finally finishing her plate. She placed it on the nightstand and reached for him, pulling him to her. She kissed him quickly and he barely had time to react before she pulled away. "Maybe I will, maybe not. It's still too early to tell." She was uncomfortable on this topic, he knew, and he wondered why she brought it up if she didn't like talking about it.

"It's alright," he said, pressing another kiss to her lips and rolling off to the side, pulling her to his chest. "I suppose I must spend my time convincing you to marry me," he said, a smirk on his face.

"That might take months," she sighed, looking up at him.

"I have time," he said. She smiled and he brushed his hand through her hair, pulling her to himself in a hug. She returned it wholeheartedly and was feeling all warm and fuzzy from his words. He seemed to know exactly what to say to make that warm feeling blossom in her chest and she couldn't say she didn't like it.

"Sorry I kept you in bed all day," she said softly, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. He shook his head.

"Though you were sick, I enjoyed it. You aren't going back to the hospital for at least a week, by the way."

"What?!" she stared at him, mouth slightly open. "You can't expect me to stay away from work that long! If I do, I'm in for so much work you won't see me for another month!" She gripped his shirt tightly in her fingers, more than slightly upset with the news.

"You can use the time to spar with Sasuke and Naruto or even myself. You can rest yourself and let Tsunade set others to take care of it for a while. She told me she would find someone to help you. I do not think she'll go back on her word."

"Why?" Sakura was curious now. Itachi's words had calmed her down and she was okay with it now. Her work was going to nag at her in the back of her mind for most of the time she was off, but Itachi would make sure she didn't think about it too much.

"I told her I would be very upset if you were to get sick again because of the stress that is put on you," he said flatly. "She took it seriously." Oh, yes, a pissed off Itachi wasn't exactly the person to piss off. She found it was especially not good to piss him off when it involved her. He was extremely overprotective, but was much, much less overbearing about it like Sasuke was.

"I suppose that works," she laughed shortly. "I mean, thanks I guess."

"You would not have taken action yourself to change anything. You do not like admitting you need help," he said, fixing her with a calm stare. She pouted. She hated when he said something like that. She couldn't even fight him about it because of how right he was.

"Sorry?" she said.

"You do not need to apologize for how you are," he assured her. He knew she was like this because of what she was like when she'd been a genin. She'd needed help with everything and always needed her teammates to save her. He knew this thanks to Sasuke, who had told him everything about her as he'd come home in those days, usually pissed off. Sakura didn't like to ask for help now because of that time and he felt slightly bad for her. Anything that happened that young in life had lasting impressions on a person's psyche.

"What do you want to do tomorrow?" she asked. She was feeling quite a bit better and the nausea had all but gone away by now. She didn't think she would ever want to go out and spar in the morning, not with how her stomach hurt from retching all day, but Itachi wouldn't try and push that on her.

"I don't know. We could spend another day in bed," he suggested. He really liked that idea. He could think of several activities that could be quite fun in bed. Sakura scoffed, though she smiled.

"I think you would try to disrupt my rest if we did that," she laughed.

"You do not think it would be a good idea?" he asked, rolling over and looming over her. She laughed and pushed him away gently.

"I've already kissed you a couple times. I don't want you to get the same bug." If he did there would be no doubt that she would care for him, but she really didn't want Itachi to get sick. She had never seen him sick, either, so she was even more against seeing him like that.

"Then what would you like to do?"

"I'd like to see Naruto and see how Tori's doing," Sakura said. "He's been taking care of her since my home hasn't felt my presence in weeks."

"Why do you not just give him Tori?" Itachi asked. "You do not have time for her that you would like to have and Naruto likes her." He'd been slowly trying to convince her for months to just give the dog to Naruto. She simply didn't have the time and she knew it. It hurt her to know that she didn't have time for her parents' dog, but she couldn't really do anything about it.

"I've been thinking about it since you suggested it last time. I was thinking that, if she was doing well, I'd ask Naruto if he'd like her," Sakura sighed. "I really don't have time for her anymore and that's not really a way to keep a dog." She didn't like keeping Tori in a crate all the time. Sure, she had an issue eating cushions, but she still didn't deserve to be locked up all the time just because Sakura had to be at the hospital twenty hours a day.

"Perhaps we can get a cat," Itachi said. "You will have your animal companion and it will be less of a hassle." Cats were much more to Itachi's taste anyways. Even if they were assholes, he still liked them.

"I'd like that," Sakura smiled. "Where would it stay, though? Here or my place?"

"You nor I spend much time at your home, Sakura. I do not see why you don't keep clothes here." Itachi had a few extra shirts and pants in a drawer in her dresser, but she had yet to bring anything here. He wondered why sometimes, but didn't want to cause a fight. She seemed rather calm now, and that's why he said it.

"I suppose I should. Or we should just move in together at this point," she sighed. "I know I should say we need our own space and everything, but we sleep together every night anyways and it would make it less of a hassle." Itachi would still make her come to his house if she had annoyed him and he didn't want to wait in her apartment.

"That's a thought. I thought you would say it's too soon," he said quietly.

"I think it is, honestly," she said just as quietly. "But we spend most of our time together anyways and it'd just be easier at this point. Who cares what other people think? We've already had sex." Itachi wanted to laugh. Her argument seemed to be strung together and didn't make much sense to him, but he didn't mind.

"I wonder if this means I have swayed you slightly into marrying me," he said amused. Sakura couldn't help but giggle and shook her head.

"Marrying you and bearing your children is a lot to ask for you know," she laughed.

"You do not want to have my children?"

"Ask me that in about nine months," she laughed. He wondered if that meant she was pregnant now? He didn't understand. "Weasel, I mean ask me on our year anniversary idiot," she smacked him playfully and he only shook his head. "Sometimes you take things way too literally."

"How did you know what I was thinking?"

"That's usually what people think when a girl says something like that," she said cheekily, smiling up at him. He only shook his head again. Sakura was so very odd, but that was just part of the reason he loved being around her.

"I will ask when we have been together for a year then," he promised, kissing her forehead. She smiled at the sweet moment.

"Are you tired yet?" she asked, yawning. She was just so tired after all that puking and fever. She would undoubtedly feel better after a good rest.

"Yes." She smiled and turned over, allowing him to wrap his arms tightly around her waist and pull her snugly to his chest. She knew she was probably going to sleep longer than usual and he wouldn't mind at all. He liked holding her tightly and she didn't mind at all unless she was trying to get up.

* * *

"Sakura! I haven't seen you in like a week and a half!" Naruto yelled as he ushered her and Itachi into his apartment. "Hinata is over, but she won't mind!" Sakura felt bad that she was intruding, but Naruto didn't seem to care and Hinata even smiled as they entered the living room. Hinata knew that Naruto missed his pink haired friend and didn't mind the intrusion at all.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura said after he'd finally calmed down enough to hear her.

"Where have you been?" he asked, gesturing her to sit on the couch. Tori was sitting on it and she sat up, wagging her tail. She was happy to see Sakura and almost jumped on her. Sakura only laughed and pet her head, getting her down so she could sit down.

"I've been really busy at the hospital. Remember you saw me there the last time?" Sakura asked, raising a brow. Naruto just looked sheepish and laughed, nodding. He seemed to have forgotten all about it. "Then I got sick the past couple of days and Weasel here is keeping me away from the hospital for a little while."

"Well, I'm sad that you got sick, but it's good that he's making you stay away for a little while," the blond smiled. He was cooking something in the kitchen and Sakura had a nagging feeling that it was ramen. "Are you doing better?"

"Obviously. I came to see you," Sakura laughed. Itachi was standing rather close to her and she knew that he was uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable around those he didn't know well, though he hid it from others. He was much more used to staying in the shadows and observing. Social interactions with anyone but her caused him some distress. "What are you making?" she didn't mind Itachi wasn't talking, she could do enough for the both of them.

"Ramen," of course, she was right in what she smelled. "There'll be enough for you and Itachi!"

"Naruto always makes too much," Hinata said, a little smile on her face. "Did you know Tsunade's recruiting some medics for hospital training, Sakura?" The notice had gone out just this morning and Hinata was thinking of doing it. She'd asked Ino, but the woman had just scoffed and said she could do no good with diagnosing and Tsunade and Sakura knew it.

"I didn't." She looked up at Itachi, who stared back at her with an unfathomable stare. No doubt it was because of what he'd said to the Hokage the day before. "I have a feeling I know where it came from, though," she said, amused. Itachi only smirked, though kept it from the other two. People already had it in their minds that he was an unfeeling ice block and he wasn't one to disappoint.

"That sounds sneaky, Sak," Naruto said from the kitchen. Sakura only smiled and rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't me, dumbass. I just know who it was and I am totally not telling."

"That's not nice!"

"If I tell you, you're going to go straight to Ino and tell her all about it!" Sakura retorted. "Remember what you less loose last time? Now everyone in the village thinks I'm pregnant with Itachi's child and that he's only with me because he's guilty!" She caught the slight incredulous stare that Itachi gave her and she only shrugged. What? It was true. A few of the nurses had come up to her in the hallways and asked her if it was alright for the baby if she was working so hard. "Which reminds me, Naruto, I need to beat the shit out of you for that."

"Aw, please don't ruin my apartment, Sak, I actually really like this one!" Naruto whined. Sakura had this nasty habit of destroying walls with Naruto's face when he did something absurd like this.

"Like I'm going to risk hurting myself right now. I was sick yesterday, dumbass. No, I'm going to get you back on the training ground," she grinned and he shrunk back, looking quite terrified. He hated that grin on her face. It definitely told him he was going to pay and he wished, not for the first time in his life, that he knew how to keep his damn mouth shut.

"I guess that's good," Hinata said, trying to diffuse the tension. Itachi seemed rather amused as well. He knew Sakura was violent and vicious, but had never thought she'd actually destroyed an apartment before in her anger. Sakura only shrugged.

"He's just lucky that I got sick really," she said. "Anyways, I didn't just come to bag on you, Whisker face."

"You could have fooled me," he said, turning around. He was slightly annoyed by her teasing, but he would get over it quickly enough. He wasn't like Sasuke, who would brood for days or even weeks on end. "What did you come here for then?"

"Well, first off, I wanted to see you," she grinned and stuck out her tongue. "The other reason was to make sure Tori's okay," she pet the dog's head absentmindedly. She had forgotten how nice it was to have the dog near her so she could just sit there and pet her.

"She's fine. I haven't been feeding her ramen or anything; Hinata's made sure of that. She whined for you for a few nights there, but she's getting better now. She's been eating fine and hasn't had any accidents in the house," Naruto said, seeming quite happy. He loved taking care of the dog and always tried to do it well so Sakura would let him take care of her again.

"I was wondering if you'd like to keep her then," Sakura said, looking away. It was hard to let the dog go, it was the last bit of her parents that she had. It was better for Tori though, and she knew it. She couldn't keep her when she didn't even have time for her.

"What? Of course! Why are you asking?!"

"A lot of reasons," Sakura sighed. "Itachi and I aren't really dog people in the first place and I'm hardly ever at home to take care of her. She's always stuck in a crate when I have time to watch over her, so I thought it'd be better to ask if you wanted to keep her," Sakura took a deep breath after she got it all out.

"Wow, okay. Are you and Itachi going to get a different pet then?" he asked, interested. He hadn't really heard anything from Sakura lately and wanted to know everything at this point.

"A cat," Sakura answered, laughing. "I would prefer one anyways. They're a lot smaller and easier to take care of."

"They're huge assholes though!" If there was a poster boy for 'dog person,' Naruto was it. He loved dogs tremendously and had always fawned over Tori, but had never found the urge to go get one himself. He didn't have the patience or the mind to really train a dog, so it was better that he didn't, honestly.

"Well, that's for me to worry about," Sakura said. "Does it even matter to you? You get Tori and I'm happy knowing that you're taking good care of her. Under Hinata's watchful eye of course." Seriously, if Hinata wasn't around, Naruto would just feed Tori Ramen and potato chips ninety percent of the time. That's just how Naruto was.

"Fine, fine," he laughed. "You win. Here, lunch is ready." Sakura was hungry; she and Itachi had eaten early that morning and had gone for a nice, long walk around the village before going to Naruto's. They had been planning to go out for lunch, but Naruto seemed pretty intent on keeping them there for a little while longer. Sakura got up and grabbed the bowls from Naruto, giving one to Itachi.

Naruto was good at ramen at least, but not much good at anything else. Hinata had probably been worn down into this and, from her pained smile, she had been. Sakura couldn't help but giggle quietly at the look on her face. Itachi didn't seem to mind the lunch, but Sakura knew he wasn't too happy. There were copious amounts of beef in this and she knew how he disliked that.

After lunch was finished and cleaned up, Sakura stretched her arms over her head and said, "Thanks for lunch, Naruto, but I guess it's time to go. I should feel well enough to see you and Sasuke tomorrow at the training grounds." Naruto seemed quite excited at her words and she smiled at him.

"That's good. Sasuke misses you too, you know. He thinks it's because Itachi's been taking up all your time, so be ready for a vocal fight first."

"Wow, big words, Naruto, you're finally growing up," Sakura smiled slyly at him. Naruto flushed and rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Sakura. At least I'm giving you a warning."

"Yeah, I'll give you that," she smiled. She reached for Itachi's hand and headed for the door. "By Hinata! I'll see you in the morning, Naruto!" She heard their goodbyes as she shut the door behind her. Itachi looked down at her, wondering what they were going to do now. This had been the only thing on their agenda for the day. Perhaps she was feeling tired and wanted to go lay in bed? He really just wanted to lay in bed with her; he just couldn't get it out of his head.

"What would you like to do?" he asked as they walked down the stairs. She was latched onto his arm happily and he was glad they had finally gotten to this. He wasn't too good with showing affection in public and that didn't really bother her, just made her take more initiative. They still hadn't gotten to holding hands while walking together until quite recently.

"I was thinking we could go back home and have a relaxing afternoon," Sakura smiled. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? You're sad because you've been lacking my affection, aren't you?" she asked, looking up at him with her shining eyes.

"Of course. I did not think you would allow me such a luxury, though," he said. She was leading him back to his house and he really didn't mind. He would love a calming afternoon with her. He had paperwork to do, but he could do that on the couch with her. He'd just have to leave to deliver it back to headquarters.

"I need to sometimes. You took care of me yesterday, so I definitely owe you one," she said, amused. He nodded, she most definitely did and he didn't mind taking her up on her offer in the least. He hoped she would cook for him tonight too. It had been a long while since she had and he was sorely missing her cooking.

"I was supposed to have a mission," Itachi said, "Tsunade sent Shisui instead because she didn't want to deal with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I told her you were sick and would not be happy if I were sent on a mission while you were. She obviously thought better of it." Sakura couldn't help but laugh.

"You know, Itachi, I don't know who's scarier, me or you."

* * *

 **My cat just tried to jump on the bed. She missed. She then looked ashamed of herself and like she dishonored her great lion ancestors and went to the scratching post to offer her claws up to the cat gods. She is now hiding underneath my bed in shame.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I WORK 40 HOURS A WEEK AND RIDE A BIKE TO WORK. I HATE THIS.**

* * *

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly as they sat together on a tree branch. They were in the middle of a mission and everyone was settling down. Sakura shot him a confused look. Why would he ask her that? She didn't understand that in the least.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" she asked, smiling. Itachi only shook his head. He had thought she'd been lagging slightly behind him, but perhaps that was just his head playing tricks on him. "How much longer until we get to the village?" she asked. Their team was tasked with taking back a few scrolls that had been stolen from a dignitary from the next village over. Once they had the information they needed, they'd been off.

"It should only be another four hours," he said. They'd been running for days and everyone needed a rest, though. Then they could scope out the place and find the exact location of the scrolls. Sakura was dearly hoping there wouldn't be a fight this time around. She was sick of her missions ending in battle. It was getting quite annoying, but they never knew.

"We'll have to find a place for meetup. There should be a sad motel somewhere in that village," she smiled. They had crossed a few borders, but thankfully hadn't come across any ninja from other places. They would undoubtedly be attacked. Itachi only nodded.

"You should sleep," he said, reaching his arm out to her. She nodded and pushed herself a little closer, placing her head on his shoulder. He'd never let the other two see this, but they were currently sleeping soundly below them and would never notice a thing. He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and made sure she was comfortable. It seemed like a quiet night at least. He had planned their travel beforehand, making sure they would go through unpopulated areas. They would have to pose as civilians the moment they came upon a village.

It felt nice to hold her like this. He had a silly feeling that he was protecting her. It wasn't silly, he thought, it was true. They were out in the open and he didn't want to be caught unawares. It was just interesting he supposed. He knew she didn't need to be protected, not in the least, but he liked the feeling.

A few hours later and he nudged her awake. It was their turn to take watch that night, the other two would resume the next night. Sakura didn't wake too quickly and he smirked, nudging her again.

"No, I want to sleep more," she whined, rubbing her nose on his shoulder. He only chuckled and nudged her again. "Fine, fine, I'm waking up," she yawned and pulled away from him, stretching her arms over her head. She hated only sleeping a few hours. It made her more tired than she felt. She rubbed her eyes and reached for him, letting him take the same position she'd been in.

He didn't have issues sleeping on missions when she was around. She would allow him to hold her while he slept and it kept the terrible thoughts away. He was thankful for her touch and she knew it, therefore always allowed it.

Her shift was just as quiet as his was and she was waking him gently with the coming of the dawn. The other two were beginning to wake up as well and Sakura handed him an apple while she ate a banana. He wondered why she always brought fresh fruit on their missions, but he didn't mind it. It was a good thing to have with the rations. Though they filled you, they didn't taste very good.

"How much longer, Itachi?" Shisui called up to them. Shikamaru was glaring daggers at him from another branch. He wasn't one for mornings and much less one for loud people. Shisui didn't seem to notice the younger man's glare.

"Four hours," he answered. "We should be on our way soon to cut time." The other two nodded and immediately began packing up, taking out food to eat quickly. It was a rather brisk morning, but nothing they weren't accustomed to.

"Off we go?" Sakura asked, giving him a bright smile. He nodded, happy that she was in a good mood. They were off, flying through the trees again. Sakura immediately fell back, as she always did. Sakura was the best to flank them. She had the sharpest eyes and sharpest ears, whereas Itachi could watch avidly from the front. Sakura wasn't commanded to go there, that's just where she would rather be.

It was quiet that morning, though. They came across little and came upon a road a couple hours later. They stopped to gauge how long it was to the village and decided they could go a little farther through the trees. They traveled for maybe an hour more before they caught sight of some travelers on the road. They stopped moving and melted back into the trees a good ways to change clothes. They couldn't be caught in their ANBU gear.

Itachi was rather bothered now when Sakura undressed in front of her teammates. It didn't bother him so much before, but he couldn't help but feel the other two were watching her. He didn't want to make a scene and upset anyone, though, so he kept his thoughts to himself, like he usually did. Sakura didn't seem to think anything was wrong and she was ready to go not long after. She always took longer than the boys.

"Who's married to Sakura this time?" Shisui asked, grinning. He got the expected glare from Itachi and an eye roll from Sakura. "Hey," he held up his hands, "It's usually me. I was just asking in case someone else wanted to act it out."

"It should still be Shisui," Sakura said. Itachi's glare turned to her. "What? You're much better at observation than he or Shikamaru are. You can hang back and figure everything out while we distract the idiots." Itachi had to agree she was right. He didn't have to like it though. His glare lessened and Sakura smiled. He couldn't be annoyed when her smile was directed his way. "Shisui, here," she pulled the cheap rings from her pouch.

"Ah, yes, my favorite piece of jewelry," he laughed, taking his from her. He slid it on and they were running back through the forest, back to the road. No one was on the road now, so they slipped out, trying to make sure there was no one in sight. They tried to walk quickly, slowing when someone came across their path. They knew they were getting close to the village when more and more people began showing up along the road.

The village didn't have any security. It probably didn't have much more than a mayor and probably had zero ninja to speak of. They could work relatively under the radar here, with a little less care than normal. It was a blessing, at least. Sakura spotted an inn near the edge of town, perfect for a hasty getaway, and she and Shisui headed towards it. Itachi and Shikamaru broke off to examine the village and find their target.

"Ready for the old routine again?" Sakura asked, pulling her hair up. Shisui only laughed.

"Of course. It never grows old, especially when I'm doing it with you," he grinned at her. Sakura scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Don't let Itachi hear you say that," she said as she went through the door he held open for her.

"Not a word, angel," he winked. She shook her head and approached the front desk. A balding man stood behind it looking rather bored and flipping through a magazine. Sakura was quite certain it was pornographic. "Hey, can we get a room?" Shisui asked, an easy smile on his face and his arm around Sakura's waist. The man didn't respond.

"Hey!" Sakura smacked the table and the guy finally looked up. Sakura wanted to roll her eyes, but just settled with a glower. He'd been sleeping!

"Can I help ya?" he asked. He had a rather thick voice and she wasn't too happy hearing it. It made her want to hit him upside the head.

"Yeah, we need a room," Shisui, of course, was laid back and smiling as always. He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to get her to calm down. She was still rather peeved, but had calmed down just slightly.

"Yeah, here," the man threw down a key. "Ya pay when ya leave." Shisui nodded, the smile still on his face and pulled Sakura away from ripping the guy a new one. They found their room rather easily and Sakura flopped down on the bed the moment they were in.

"I'm going to sleep until they come back. It's not like we can go anywhere anyways," Sakura said, sighing. Shisui only nodded. He smiled gently as he watched her get comfortable and curl into a tiny ball. How he wished he could crawl in with her right now. He couldn't, though. There would be a mark on his head if Itachi ever found them like that and he didn't feel like dying today.

He kept watch and nearly had a heart attack when Itachi and Shikamaru came through the window, the younger man not so gracefully. Shisui pushed down the urge to laugh and only looked to Sakura, trying to tell them to keep quiet.

"She sleeps more than me," Shikamaru said, flopping in a chair.

"She has been tired lately," Itachi said, a slight hint of worry in his eyes. "She has been sick lately too. I am not sure what's wrong with her." Shisui only shrugged. The fuck would he know? The best idea would be to let her sleep now and worry about her health later.

"How'd the surveillance go?" Shisui asked, sitting in a chair of his own.

"There are no walls around the village, but we knew that already," Itachi said, taking Shisui's place at the window. "The target's house is easily visible. It is very large. There are guard dogs and handlers surrounding it and I do not doubt that there are guards on the inside as well. Knowing that there are little ninja in the village, I do not think they are well trained. We will be able to take them on with ease if it comes to that." Shikamaru obviously wasn't used to Itachi saying so much. He looked at him like he was a two headed cat or something.

"So we need a lot of stealth. That means me and Shikamaru are out. Sakura's light on her feet and you're a fucking shadow," Shisui sighed. They would have to keep watch and swoop in to save their teammates if a battle broke out.

"The easiest way would be to go in through the roof," Shikamaru said. "There aren't any trees nearby, but with Itachi and Sakura's chakra control, they can jump easily to the roof. There might be an alarm, though, if they make too much noise." Ah, what would they do without the genius strategist? Itachi seemed to think for a moment.

"I know I can do it silently and I am sure Sakura has more than enough practice doing as such."

"We still don't know where these scrolls are being kept," Shisui said. "How will you be able to find them?" They hadn't been inside the house and therefore had no idea where to look for them.

"They're pretty important scrolls," Shikamaru said, "They can fetch a high price. I would think that they are held in a safe in the target's bedroom or in the basement." Shikamaru would know where important things were kept. He was usually put on these types of missions where stealth and planning were important. Itachi was glad he was around. Sakura was a pretty good strategist, but she often went for the head-on approach. This mission needed a more delicate approach.

"So are we waiting for nightfall?" Shisui asked, stretching. "I was going to get some food when you two returned.

"Go," Itachi dismissed him. "You can too, Shikamaru. It never hurts to observe more. I'll sleep a while." He was feeling the effects of only sleeping four hours and he could get a nap before the operation too. The two left and he went to Sakura, sliding his arms around her as he climbed into bed. She was awake in a second and out of his arms.

"I thought you were fine," he said as he walked to the bathroom after her, a brow raised in his skepticism.

"Shut up, will you?" she said venomously, her glare catching his calm stare. He sighed and knelt beside her, rubbing her upper back in soothing circles while she retched. He didn't know why she was sick. It would happen a few times after she woke up and he didn't know what to do anymore. This had been going on for at least a week now.

"Why won't you tell me what is wrong?" he asked, feeling a little hopeless. Unless she told him what was wrong, he didn't know how to help. She shook her head, reaching to flush the toilet and going to rinse her mouth out.

"I just don't know," she sighed. She stepped to him and hugged him around the waist.

"I hope you will not vomit during the operation tonight," he said. He didn't need that. He should have stopped her from coming on the mission, but Tsunade wasn't having it. It was all 'just because you're banging her doesn't mean you can stop me from assigning her missions.' He tried to bring up her odd sickness, but the woman just wasn't having it.

"I'll be fine. You know it only happens when I wake up," she said quietly. He nodded. "Were you planning on sleeping?" she asked, realizing that he had woken her up when he climbed into bed.

"Yes." He was tired, just like she was. She nodded and went back to the bed, letting him join her. He didn't touch her stomach this time. She was having problems with that recently. He let her press herself against his side and wrapped his arm around her. He would sleep lightly, knowing that the other two would be coming back at some point. There was also the chance of someone more unsavory coming in, too. She fell asleep first and he followed her soon after.

He was up first, hearing the footsteps to the door. He carefully disentangled himself from Sakura, but she woke anyways. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her bleary eyes. The sun was beginning to set and was shining directly through the space in the curtains, lighting her face in an orangey glow. She didn't seem too happy about it and groaned again, shading her face with her hand.

"Were you two sleeping all afternoon?" Shisui asked as he came in, setting a couple bags on the table. Sakura nodded sluggishly and Itachi only watched them. "Well, I'm sorry for waking up the sleeping beauties," Shisui stuck his tongue out. Sakura only scoffed. "Here, little Sak," he grinned at her and gave her a container.

"What'd you get?" she asked, moving to sit cross legged on the bed. Itachi was next to her with a container of his own.

"Just some chicken and noodles. Not as good as your cooking, I'm afraid, but better than the other shit," Shisui laughed. Sakura only shrugged and went to eating.

"So what's the plan?" Sakura asked. She knew she had probably slept through the entire thing.

"You and Itachi are going to fly through the air and land on the roof. Then you're going to get into the house and find the scrolls. Shikamaru says they might be in a safe in the boss' room, or they'll be in the basement."

"I'm voting for safe," Sakura said immediately. "They're way too important to keep in a dusty basement."

"I'm voting for basement," Shisui grinned. Sakura glared at him. They always did this, on every mission. They always found something to bet on. Right now Shisui was winning by one point. She hated that he was winning and would definitely settle for a tie.

"What the hell is going on?" Shikamaru asked.

"They are usually partners," Itachi answered. "They have their own things that they do on every mission. It confuses me too." Shikamaru almost spat out the bite he had in his mouth. When the hell did Itachi admit he had feelings? Shikamaru had not spent much time around the Uchiha heir, but knew well enough that he was an emotionless block of ice.

"Ah," was all he could say.

"We'll have to wait until it's late," Shisui said, throwing his empty container away from him. "I'm tired. Think I could have that bed, Sak?"

"You're always tired."

"You're always tired lately, too. You could join me," Shisui grinned at her and got a full on glare from Itachi. "I'm only kidding cousin. You know I wouldn't dream of it." Itachi's glare didn't lessen.

Shikamaru, who didn't know what the fuck was going on, just watched the scene in mild amusement. It had been well known by now that Sakura and Itachi were an item. It was certainly entertaining to see the daily interactions.

"I'm getting my medical supplies ready. I'm surprised you don't want to watch," Sakura answered him loftily. She popped up off the bed and went to rummage through her pack for her pouch of medical supplies. "I hope someone has money on them to leave in the room," she sighed, "We won't be around in the morning to pay for it."

"That seems like a counter intuitive way to run an inn," Shikamaru said.

"Ask the fat bald guy up front," Shisui commented, his head already hidden in pillows.

"We'll figure it out before we leave," Sakura said. She finally found the bulging pouch and fished out her utility pouch, bringing both of them to the table. She began pulling out medical supplies and organizing them.

"What are you putting in?" Shikamaru asked. They'd be taking their packs, but Sakura obviously didn't have time to sort through her pack and medical supplies in emergencies.

Bandages, adrenaline, and anesthetic mostly," she said. "I don't think there's really anything else that needs to be put in." She separated everything and began loading it all in. "This is obviously not a ninja village, so I don't think a scuffle that we get into will need anything more than that."

She was smart, so smart, Shikamaru thought. She watched and noticed everything so she could pack accordingly. He was slightly impressed by it.

"Alright," she pulled herself up. "I'm going to take a shower because screw being without running water for another week," she sighed. She rummaged through her pack again and walked off towards the bathroom. Shikamaru thought it was odd to be with the silent Uchiha. He had never been alone with him and had only seen him a couple times around the Hokage. He didn't really know what to say to make conversation.

They mostly just sat there silently for a long while until Sakura got out of the shower, her ANBU gear on again and a towel in her hair. She pulled out her mask and a wig, which confused Shikamaru.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"I can't very well go around with this all the time," she said, pulling the towel off and letting her pink tresses fall. "If someone notices it, I'll be the easiest ninja to hunt! Have you ever met another girl with pink hair?"

"You're right," he hadn't.

"Exactly," she smiled smugly. "I hide it so no one really knows who I am. I tend to change the color from time to time though. I like to keep our enemies on their toes," she winked.

"She also calls me Weasel."

"What?"

"'Crow' is a very well known ANBU agent," she flicked her mask at Itachi and he caught it with ease, giving her a smirk. "If I were to call him that, there's no doubt someone would try and break off and find a way to kill him. The focus would be centered on him! I want the focus on me," she winked.

"That seems counterintuitive," Shikamaru said. Sakura only shrugged.

"If they're attacking me Itachi's bound to go apeshit, so I'd rather have that happen than anything else," she smiled.

"If they are attacking me you will do as such too," Itachi commented. Shikamaru laughed. They were just so protective of each other. He could see where their personalities clashed, but they seemed to have worked out the clashing opinions and got along well.

Sakura peeked out the window at the sky. She sighed and began tucking her hair up into the wig. It was getting late and they would plan just a little more before going in. That meant waking up Shisui, too. It was usually pretty hard to wake him. He didn't like waking up, much like her. She went to him and began shaking him.

"Hey, wake up," she said loudly. The other two just watched, Shikamaru confused and Itachi quite amused. He knew how hard it was to wake his cousin and he had no doubt Sakura would get violent if he didn't wake up.

"Five more minutes, mommy."

"Did you just call me 'mommy,' you little dingbat?" Sakura asked, smacking him upside the head.

"You're a mom, shut up!" Shisui said, sitting up and holding his head. "You're totally a mom!"

"I am not! How the fuck am I a mom?"

"You make me food all the time because you're worried I don't eat and you tuck me into bed and wake me like a rude ass hoe!" Shisui shouted back. Sakura glared at him and smacked him again. Itachi only watched them with amusement still. Shisui definitely knew how to push Sakura's buttons and he couldn't help but laugh about it.

"Well we're about to go, so we have to make sure we've got the plan down, asshole," she said, turning away from him. Shikamaru yawned. He'd been the only one that hadn't had a nap, but he knew better than to sleep. He wouldn't have been so easy to wake up as the other three.

"Alright, so Sakura and Itachi are going to go in through the roof. Shisui and I are going to wait on the edge of the house and make sure an alert isn't raised. That's pretty much it." It was a fairly simple plan, but putting it into action would probably be a lot harder.

"Let's go," Sakura said, hopping up. She slid her mask over her face and slung her pack over her back. The rest of them followed suit and hopped out the window. Shisui remembered to leave money on the table for the inn manager, not wanting to cut the guy short. Yeah he was lazy and all, but they weren't assholes.

They stuck to the shadows and darkness on the way to the target. Sakura didn't notice many shady people, mostly just drunkards out late and returning home. There was the odd shinobi, but they paid no heed to anyone but themselves.

"Jesus Christ this is huge," Sakura whispered from her perch on the tree. This wasn't a house, it was a fucking mansion! How the hell were they going to find the boss' bedroom, study, or basement in general? This was going to take a lot longer than usual and she and Itachi would have to split up to find what they were looking for.

Shikamaru pointed. "There are guard dogs and handlers walking all over the premises." There were large, mean looking dogs walking about with burly looking men. "You'll have to be fast so they don't notice you." Sakura bit her lip looking at the distance between her and the roof. She wasn't so sure she could do that. Itachi nudged her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look. She took a deep breath and nodded.

They waited until they couldn't see anyone looking their way and then channeled massive amounts of chakra into their feet and jumped from the branch. Sakura landed first, amazingly quiet on the balls of her feet, Itachi not far behind. They stood stock still for a few long moments, waiting for any sounds of alarm. When there weren't any, they padded to the nearest window and slipped inside.

"You go to the right," Itachi said quietly, touching the middle of her back for a quick moment. She gave him a small smile and nodded, running down the hallway. She stopped at every door, trying to feel any chakra signatures or signs of life behind them. It was late at night, there was no doubt the boss was sleeping, so she looked for something along that line.

She stopped when she was about to turn a corner. She could tell there was a guard standing outside a door and knew that was definitely the boss' room. She peeked around the corner and smirked. It was just a normal thug, one that had no ninja skills to speak of. She rushed around the corner and hit him on the temple with a quick jab, knocking him out before he even knew she was there.

She waited outside the door for a moment, trying to tell whether the person inside was sleeping or not. They seemed at rest. She slowly open the door and let her eyes get used to the dark for a moment before creeping further in. The man was sleeping in a bed in the middle of the room. She fished out a sleeping serum and injected it quickly, putting the used needle back in her belt. He wouldn't wake now when she went rifling through the room.

She still crept around the room quietly, looking around for a safe of some sort. She found one in the closet and broke the code easily. They often kept the original codes when they had little ninja training to speak of. They thought no one would even try to get into their houses with thugs on the loose. She searched through the safe and found several things that had probably been stolen, but the scrolls she wanted were nowhere to be found. They must be in the basement, then. If he didn't keep them close, there had to be a safer place he had.

She left the room quickly, passing the still sleeping guard, and ran down the hallway, heading for the stairwell she'd passed quite a bit earlier. She stopped at the corner, waiting to see if anyone passed by the bottom. She headed down when she found it was safe and kept going until she reached the bottom level. She had to find the stairwell to the basement now, but she wasn't sure where to look.

She walked through the bottom of the house for a long while, just searching for the stairwell, when she opened a random door and found it. Why the hell would you hide the basement access behind a random door? She shook her head and closed the door quietly, sneaking down the steps. There was definitely something down here worth hiding. There were two thugs at the bottom of the stairwell.

They obviously weren't ninja. They didn't notice her at all. She was just thinking of how to dispatch them when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Itachi was behind her. This made it incredibly easier. They went with their usual plan: have Sakura hold them and Itachi put them under. It was their go-to at this point when they couldn't talk to each other. A few seconds later and both thugs were on the ground.

"Think you can crack it?" Itachi asked, watching her finger the coded lock. She tried what she did with the safe and frowned when it wasn't the same. Apparently the boss was a little more careful with this one. She sighed and just broke the damn thing. Itachi watched, amused, and crossed the threshold after her. She propped the door open just slightly with a small piece of wood she kept in her utility belt for this alone. She wasn't about to be trapped in here.

The basement was completely lit up, so different from the rest of the house that she had to squint in order to get used to it. "I think we found what we're looking for," she sighed, looking among rows and rows of scrolls. "What were they about again? There's got to be some kind of organization here." She sighed; she really didn't remember what they were about.

"They are important tax scrolls for the fire daimyo."

"Oh," Sakura thought for a long moment and then began running along the stacks. She stopped so quickly that Itachi almost ran into her. "Got it," she smiled, handing him three of the scrolls. He nodded, tucking them into his pack.

"Let's go," he turned back to the door. Sakura pulled the wedge of wood from the door and followed him back up the stairs. They went back to the roof and jumped back to the tree where Shisui and Shikamaru were sitting. They set off away from the village, intent on getting far away before day broke and the alarm was raised.

"Did anyone notice anything was off?" Sakura asked as they raced along in the trees.

"No. They aren't very good guards. This could have been an A mission, easy," Shikamaru said. This entire thing was relatively easy and he didn't like that his talent was wasted on it.

"It would have if the information wasn't so important," Shisui said, grinning. "I don't mind. Bigger paycheck for me," he winked.

"I guess you're right," the man sighed. "It's just going to take another week to get home." Sakura groaned. She had forgotten about that. She hated these missions where they had to travel into different countries.

They traveled until daybreak and then took a moment to rest. Sakura passed out some fruit to keep their levels up and sat heavily on a branch. She was tired, but they were going to keep going until nightfall, when they could rest without danger of being found. She had been feeling more fatigued lately and she didn't like that. "I'll be right back," she said abruptly, standing. "Bathroom." She raced off, rushing to get away before letting them see what was about to happen.

"Is she alright?" Shisui asked, looking up at Itachi. He didn't really like the way she was acting. He thought it was a little odd. Itachi only shook his head.

"Perhaps she just needed to go to the bathroom," he said. Shisui rolled his eyes. Itachi didn't want his cousin to worry. He was worrying enough for the both of them. He knew she was retching, was certain of it, and didn't like the thought of that. He wanted to go to her, comfort her though he didn't know what was going on, but thought it would seem weird.

She was back a few minutes later and sat on a branch away from him. She wouldn't look at him and he fully well knew why. He looked towards the horizon. He and Sakura would get a full eight hours of sleep tonight, at least, so that was nice. It was Shisui and Shikamaru's turn to die of little sleep.

"We should be off," Itachi said a few minutes later. The others nodded and lifted themselves up. He noticed that Sakura was moving a little sluggishly. He brushed it off, she wasn't going to say anything anyways and deny if she was having trouble. His best bet was to ignore it. They set off, though he kept close to her at the back, a little worried about her.

She kept up well enough and, though he was planning to stop around noon, she carried on. This little woman was just tenacious as all hell. He thought she was looking rather green, but she just pursed her lips and turned her head away from him. He knew she was trying to hide something from him, but he didn't know what and it was starting to annoy the hell out of him.

He didn't have a chance to talk to her that night. He didn't want the others to overhear and there was no doubt she would become angry and start yelling at him to butt out of her life. He wasn't in the mood to have a fight tonight and so only let her rest her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist, and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

He woke after she pulled away, watching her dart off between a few trees. He nodded to the other two and followed her, not caring what they thought at this point. She was leaning against a tree, retching again. He, yet again, pulled her hair back and rubbed the space between her shoulders. What was going on with her? She just wasn't able to keep anything down lately.

"I wish you would tell me what's going on." He had no hope that she would give him a straight answer, but he tried anyways.

"It's nothing, Weasel, don't worry," she said, voice a little hoarse from her vomiting. She didn't like this any more than he did. She didn't like keeping things from him, but didn't know how to tell him either. She knew she could just come right out and say it, but she didn't want to. It wasn't a good time right now, right in the middle of a mission. He could lose his focus and she didn't want him to become harmed in the case of an ambush.

"You may tell me not to worry, but I assure you that I will," he said quietly, brushing her hair away from her face. He couldn't help but be worried about her. There was something very wrong about her and she wouldn't tell him what it was. It was definitely bothering him. He hated this. He hated that she wouldn't tell him what was going on. He just wished she would.

"It's just a bug. I'll get over it," she smiled thinly. She wasn't lying, not really.

"I do not trust that answer."

"Itachi," she sounded so stressed and completely done with the conversation, "We'll talk about this when we get back and we're alone," she sighed. He narrowed his eyes at her and she wouldn't' look at him, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Fine," he said sharply. Sakura flinched at his tone. She knew he was angry, but she didn't have the words to tell him right now and she couldn't explain her reasoning to him right now. She reached for him and he let her grab his arm, but he didn't react much else.

"Please don't be angry," her voice was so small and she seemed rather weak at the moment. He stopped and found he couldn't be angry with her, not when she looked and sounded like that. "I'll tell you when I can," she promised, looking at her feet. He sighed and pulled her in for a brief hug, letting her go all too soon.

"We have to get going," he said, looking towards the sun. It was beginning to rise and they had to get going if they were going to keep on schedule. He didn't want to wait another six days to talk to her about this, but she didn't seem to be in a giving mood and he supposed it was a good thing. There would probably be some raised voices involved

Sakura nodded at his words and they joined the other two shortly after.

"Sakura, are you hungry?" Shisui asked. He had bought a few treats from the village and was intent on sharing them with everyone. Shikamaru was eating an orange and he had some dango for Itachi, other fruit for Sakura, but she shook her head.

"I don't have much of an appetite," she said quietly. Shisui looked at her, worried, but didn't say anything. Itachi had the exact same look in his eyes and the man had no doubt he would be talking to her about it at some point. He just hoped he wasn't around to hear it. It was well known that Itachi and Sakura's fights got rather loud and heated.

They just set off on their way, moving quickly through the trees again. Sakura was acting odd, she wasn't in the back, but settling for the middle with Shisui. Itachi wondered why. She preferred to be in back, the first to notice if someone was following them and the first to attack and protect her teammates. He thought it was odd that she felt the need to be slightly protected now.

He tried to put her actions out of his head while they traveled, but he found that he dwelled on it. He didn't like dwelling on things, but found he usually did when they centered around Sakura. He just didn't like it when she was feeling bad.

The days passed rather quickly, though his worry grew with each day as she began acting more and more odd. She was pulling away from him a little more and talking a little less. She would still sleep beside him, though, so he supposed she was just trying to make him worry less. Though he appreciated what she was trying to do, it didn't help his worry much. It made it worse if anything.

He was never happier to see the gates of Konoha come into view and know that he could talk with her at last. She was still acting rather odd. He thought it odd because she was finally home and she would often get a little happier and move a little faster when the gates came into view. She didn't say a word to him as they checked in and just took off running in the direction of her apartment. He only shook his head and went towards his own home to write the report and then drop off the scrolls to Tsunade.

Sakura, meanwhile, felt immensely relieved to be home. She couldn't deal with Itachi, not yet, she just needed to take a long bath and then sleep for a few hours before she was ready to talk to him without ripping his throat out.

She sunk beneath the warm water and sighed, feeling better already. She didn't like the fact that she felt like she smelt of puke after not being able to shower all week. She had taken a quick dip in a stream one night, but it didn't really do much for her. She scrubbed her body and her hair thoroughly before letting the water relax her sore muscles. She had pushed herself harder than she should have and she should have told her teammates to slow down a little, but she didn't want to make them late coming home. That's just how she was.

She fell into bed a short while later and couldn't keep her eyes open for more than a few minutes.

She woke to Itachi climbing in bed beside her, pushing his arms around her and pulling her close. She just turned and pressed her body as close as she could. She hadn't been able to be this close to him in about three weeks and she craved it. He felt a slight bit of relief at knowing she still wanted to be close to him no matter what was going on with her.

She felt slightly nauseated, but hoped it would go away at this point. She didn't want to move and he was so very comfortable and warm. She just wanted to go back to sleep, but that stupid nausea was rising up her throat. She had to go to the bathroom; there was no denying it at this point. She ran away from him, knowing that she worried him more, and leaned over the toilet. Once again, she felt his hand on the middle of her back and his long fingers pulling her hair away from her face.

He pulled her close and cradled her when she was finally done, holding her tightly. He didn't know what to do anymore. She wasn't telling him what was wrong and this had been going on for such a long time. He was close to forcing her to go to Tsunade before it became worse. She groaned and pulled herself from his embrace to brush her teeth.

"Would you like something to eat?" he asked, not knowing what else to say. He knew if he asked what was wrong again she would just shove him away. She wasn't good at this and still didn't have the words to say though she was at home and safe now. There was nothing to hurt him or her here, but she still couldn't make herself say it.

"No, I don't feel like eating," she said softly. "I just want to sleep." He nodded and hoisted her into his arms, carrying her easily back to the bedroom. He climbed back into bed with her and assumed the position they'd been in before she'd gone running to the bathroom. She shifted though, and continued moving. He didn't know what to do to make her comfortable and so just waited until she did. She sighed after a few minutes, sitting up and holding her head.

"Fuck this!" she cried out, frustrated tears slipping past her fingers. "I'm sick of this! All the goddamn nausea and not being able to sleep half the time! I hate you for this," she shot at him, giving him a glare as well. Completely bewildered, he just stared at her.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant, idiot!" she all but yelled. "How the fuck do you not know the fucking signs for God's sake?" she groaned and massaged her temples while a very stunned Itachi could just stare at her in astonishment. Her eyes widened when she realized what she'd just blurted out. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I just got so frustrated and I'm sorry, Itachi," she just looked at him helplessly, hoping he would say something to stop her stomach from eating itself.

"You're pregnant?" Itachi seemed to have lost all eloquence on the matter. He was just so stunned he didn't know what to say. Anger made its way forth after, however. "You're pregnant and you went on an ANBU mission?" Sakura turned red and she didn't look at him, choosing the wall as much more interesting. "Why would you do that?"

"Would you stop asking me about my choices right now and focus, Weasel?" she asked sharply. "In case you missed it, I just told you I'm pregnant with your child, which could potentially be problematic with your whole 'family heir' thing. You're focusing on the wrong topic here." Shit, she was right. It had only been about five months that they'd been together. How the hell did she end up pregnant anyways?

"How did this happen?" he asked, curious now.

"I guess I missed a day on my birth control," she sighed. "Or it failed. I don't know." She threw her head into her hands again. "I don't know what to do!" She could never abort. She wasn't the one to do that, but she knew his father might just ask that of her. Itachi sighed and reached for her, bringing her close.

"On the bright side, you're stuck with me," there was a slight tone of amusement in his voice, but not nearly as clear as it usually was when he was amused. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she was feeling particularly sad for herself right now. How did she, a medic, end up pregnant when she was in no way ready for a kid? She didn't even know anymore. "Did you not want to be with me for the rest of our lives?" he asked, noticing that she said nothing.

"Well, if it has to be anyone, I suppose I'm glad that it's you," she said, smiling weakly at him. He tightened his arms around her in a hug and smiled at her in return. "What's going to happen now?" she asked, voice sad as she pushed her head into his chest. He brushed his hand along her shoulders and down her back, trying to soothe her.

"We get married," he answered simply.

"I thought you were going to ask me when we've been together for a year," she said humorlessly, just staring at his chest. "There's really no way to hide this, I suppose," she sighed, "Everyone's going to know it was you anyways and it'll get back to your father eventually."

"Ah, yes, my father," Itachi glared at the far wall. His father wouldn't enjoy this, not at all. He would fight against this entire thing and probably lecture him for being an idiot. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation he was going to have to have with the man. Hopefully his mother would be around to soften the situation. On the bright side, Sakura didn't have to be around for it. She could hide, safe and sound, in her bed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his silence and his glare.

"Nothing. I will take care of it, don't worry," he said, pressing a kiss to her head. She was scared and didn't know what to do. It was his turn to take care of her, protect her, and make sure everything was okay for her. He didn't want her to be scared or be worried and it was quite a surprising thing to feel, but he knew it was only because he loved her. He loved her and didn't want her to feel these things because of that.

"I'm not ready for this," she said softly, tears slipping past her eyes. He pressed her head back to his chest, attempting to wipe the tears away. "I'm only twenty. I don't want to stop going on missions or working at the hospital."

"You don't have to," he assured her, "If you still wish to take missions and work at the hospital, you are more than allowed to. Just because my mother decided to stay at home with me and Sasuke doesn't mean you have to as well. I will stay home if you do not wish to and you can do the same for me." Sakura seemed to calm at his reassuring words. Her tears definitely stopped soon after he finished. He was becoming better at calming her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, finally lifting her head to look at him. He took the chance and pulled her to meet his lips, taking his time to kiss her long and slow. She melted into his embrace and calmed further which helped his happiness quite a bit.

"I do not wish to make you unhappy, Sakura. You are allowed to do what you like with your life. It is not mine to command. You only need to work with me. We are partners in this and from that point five months ago we were." She finally smiled a real smile and he was glad for it. These insecurities had probably been eating her up since she found out and she couldn't help but let them devour her in silence. He felt terrible for not noticing earlier. "How far along are you?"

"Only a couple months," she flushed. "I found out right before the mission and didn't have time to tell Tsunade or else she wouldn't have put me on." He nodded. He had noticed her retching almost every morning and sometimes at night a couple weeks before the mission and had insisted she check herself over. That must have been when she found out what she'd been denying.

"I have been worrying over you for a month. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It just wasn't the right time," she said quietly. "I figured it out right before the mission when I didn't have time to tell you and then we were on the mission. I couldn't very well tell you and have you constantly worry about me. What if we were attacked? You would have endangered yourself just to be near me and protect me. I didn't mean to blurt it out; I just got so frustrated at not being able to get comfortable. That's been happening a lot lately and I absolutely hate it."

"You have not seemed uncomfortable lately," he commented, remembering that she hadn't fidgeted much beside him while on the mission. She only shrugged.

"I sent soothing chakra throughout my body to relax it, that's all," she sighed. "I didn't want to make you worry more than you already were." He nodded. Sakura thought of everything and she definitely was right in assuming he would have worried more if he had noticed she couldn't get comfortable and was sleeping less.

"Is this why you were so tired during the mission?" he asked curiously. He had never seen her move so sluggishly before and everyone had gone a little slower than normal and she had still pushed herself. She was feeling a little weaker than normal, as was to be expected, and missions weren't good for her right now. He wished she would have said something sooner.

"Yeah," she said softly. "I tried not to show it, but you're always so observant," she sighed. "I really can't hide anything from you."

"You are just as observant. I cannot hide anything from you either," he gently reminded her. She flushed and nodded. Yes, she could figure out when he was acting odd, but it didn't affect him much unless it involved a man hitting on her. She'd had to hold him back a couple times from beating the shit out of some poor civilian for coming onto her at a bar in the middle of Naruto's birthday party. That had certainly been an entertaining night, though.

"I still don't see how this is good," she sighed. Damn it, he'd thought he'd managed to get her mind off of it. Their conversation had been a little light up until this point and he'd hoped he had gotten her calm enough to sleep now, but she was dwelling on it still. He knew full well that she had a fragile mental state though she put out to the world a strong woman and he knew she couldn't help but dwell on it. He didn't seem to be able to quell her fears and anxieties at the moment and he really didn't know what to do.

"Sakura," he waited for her to look at him. She wouldn't for several long minutes and he finally resorted to tilting her chin up with a finger. She looked at him with scared, doubtful eyes. "I will still love you after all of this. There is no one else that I would enjoy being with more," he pressed a soft kiss to her lips and she returned the kiss, though slightly hesitant. He felt as though she was going to run. She was going to run far, far away and never come back to him. He didn't like that thought and kissed her harder, holding her tighter. He didn't want her to run. He didn't want her to feel sad or scared. He wanted her calm and happy and he didn't know how to make that happen.

"This is going to be difficult," she said softly, letting her head back to his shoulder. He dragged his fingers through her hair slowly, still trying to soothe her.

"Life is difficult, my love," he said, slightly amused. She smiled at what he called him and he filed that away for later. He would have to call her that more. "It does not matter, though. You have me and I have you. It will be alright," he reassured her.

"Will you defect from ANBU with me?" her voice was small and she was obviously afraid of asking that of him. He didn't think about his answer, though. He didn't care.

"Yes, if that is what you wish," he said immediately. He wasn't about to tell her no. If it were to make her happy, then he would do whatever she wanted.

"You answered that quickly."

"I will do whatever it takes to make you happy," he said honestly, pressing a kiss to her head. She blinked and flushed, a smile lighting up her face. "I will take care of my father. There is nothing for you to worry about save for your own health." He seemed to have completely calmed her down at this point. He was glad for that, wanting to make sure she wasn't upset any further by this.

"Do you have to go right now?" He had made no move to get up and leave her, but she couldn't help but ask anyways.

"Of course not," he tightened his arms around her in a hug again. "I will stay as long as you need tonight." He wasn't going to leave tonight, anyways. He couldn't sleep well without her beside her and if he didn't leave soon there was no hope to speak with his father now. He didn't want to, not yet. He had to think about how to break the news to him carefully and politely without losing his temper. His father really wouldn't be happy about this situation. It would definitely look bad, no matter what happened after this. Itachi didn't care though. He was far too distracted with being happy over the news that Sakura was pregnant. She was going to give birth to _his_ child and he couldn't wait for the coming months and her growing belly.

"I guess we should decide who's moving in with who," she gave a short bark of laughter. He couldn't seem to keep her spirits high today. She was just going back and forth between weak smiles and morbid tones. He really didn't know what to do at this point and so just held her, hoping that would help above all else.

"I would suggest you move in with me," Itachi said quietly. He stared at the ceiling. "It is larger and offers more privacy. I believe it will give you peace of mind to decorate the nursery." He thought it would make her a little excited to hear, but she just huffed and groaned instead. "What is that reaction?" he asked, clueless.

"I hate decorating!" she whined. "Didn't you realize I had Ino do the stuff in here? It doesn't seem like me at all!" Itachi hadn't noticed at all. He had thought Sakura had done it herself because much of it was her taste. "I chose a lot of it," she informed him at his confused face, "but I didn't do any of the decorating."

"Ah, well, I can do it instead if you wish."

"Nah," she sighed. "I need to do it myself and you know it." He did know, yes, but he hadn't wanted to push her into anything she wasn't up to doing. He only nodded at her words and went back to brushing his fingers through her hair. She really seemed to love that and she relaxed in his hold for the first time since he'd pushed his arms around her. It calmed him just slightly to feel her relax like that.

"I will start moving your things, then. You do not need to worry about it," he was trying to make this as simple for her as possible and she seemed to be heeding his silent command. She nodded, though he still thought she was feeling miserable. He figured as such, because she was so quiet and wasn't really trying to show him affection when that's all she loved to do.

"I guess I have to give notice to the landlord," she sighed. There was going to be a lot she had to do. There was going to be a wedding looming over her head very soon and she knew it. There wasn't any way she would have her last name for very much longer. Though Itachi told her not to worry, she was going to.

"I suppose. Do not worry. It does not have to happen tomorrow, especially because I have to talk to my father still," he sighed. "I would just sleep for now, Sakura." It was starting to get late. She just wouldn't calm sown and he had spent the entire time trying to make it so. He reached for the remote and turned on the TV, hoping that would distract her enough to sleep.

"Itachi," she said softly. He looked at her, wondering what she want. "Tell me that you love me?" He wouldn't say it by himself though it was true. He wouldn't acquiesce if it weren't true, but he never thought to say it to her.

"I love you," he told her gently, brushing his lips over her forehead. She smiled.

"I love you, too," she let her head fall to his chest and she gripped his waist in a half hug. She really was tired. Her feelings and thoughts were barging in on her exhaustion, though, and she was having an issue settling down. He was doing a wonderful job at calming her the hell down and getting her to sleep, though. Even though it took a little longer than normal, she found herself finally growing too tired to keep her eyes open and she finally fell asleep, knowing it was probably far past midnight.

* * *

She woke to Itachi brushing his fingers down her back methodically. She rubbed her cheek on his chest before looking up at him.

"Do you need the bathroom?" was the first thing he asked. She thought for a long moment before shaking her head slowly. The nausea hadn't risen up yet. It would usually rise up when she moved and she hadn't tried to yet.

"Why'd you wake me up?" she whined softly, slightly annoyed with him. She still wanted to sleep and wasn't too happy that he had woken her.

"It is well past two in the afternoon," he said simply. "I have things I must attend to, but I did not think you would want to wake as I left. I did not think you wanted to wake without me here." Sakura smiled.

"You're right," she said softly. She pressed herself to him for a brief moment before she rolled over. She had to head to the bathroom at this point. She'd moved. She got up and went to her bathroom, leaning over the toilet until she felt the bile rising up her throat. Itachi was behind her then, rubbing her back in slow circles. It was funny to her that he did this every single time he found her like this, even when he didn't know what was going on.

"I don't like you watching me throw up," she said when she pulled back, going to the sink to brush her teeth. Itachi only shook his head.

"You cannot stop me. I wish to offer comfort." Sakura shook her head this time, spitting the toothpaste into the sink.

"I know I can't stop you, but I can tell you my displeasure at you watching it," she sighed. "When will you be back?" She didn't want to be alone. She felt like, if she was alone too long right now, her thoughts would go back to torturing her and she wouldn't be able to deal with it. She was already completely and totally self conscious about her body at the moment. She kept looking at herself in the mirror, trying to see if someone could notice something off about her yet. She knew they couldn't from her medic training, but she couldn't help it.

"I will be back in a few hours. Why don't you go to the market and cook us dinner?" he offered her something to do, something to distract herself. She almost smiled at his thoughtfulness, but sighed instead.

"That requires work," she whined.

"It will keep your mind off things until I return," he pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her head. "Just do it, Sakura. Invite someone over if you need. Do not go sparring with Sasuke and Naruto. I am sure I will be very displeased if I see you doing as such," it was a warning, she could plainly hear it. She gave a short bark of laughter.

"I don't think you're allowed to order me around, Weasel. We're not married yet." He was glad to hear her amusement and humor again, but that didn't stay his sarcastic tongue.

"You are carrying my child. I am more than allowed to order you around if it's for your safety," he said darkly, lowly. She could hear the light tone of amusement under his words and managed a smile. He kissed her gently, quickly, and pulled away. "I really must go."

"I know," she yawned, stretching her arms over her head. "I'll take a nap and then I'll go to the market, okay? Don't be surprised if there are some other people around when you come home." He only nodded. He knew she didn't want to be alone right now. Her tone and body language were telling him all that she was feeling. He pressed another chaste kiss to her lips and then was off, out the door and on his way to the Uchiha compound.

"Oh, Itachi, I haven't seen you in a while." His mother was relaxing with a book and a mug of tea on the couch, smiling at him when he walked through the door.

"I am only here to talk to father," he answered stiffly. "I do believe what I have to say is going to upset him endlessly."

"Oh dear, what happened?" she wanted to know first so she wouldn't be surprised when Itachi told Fugaku. It would give her a little time to think of things to say to calm her husband down and reprimand him if he said anything unsavory. Itachi sighed, which surprised her slightly, and seemed to have to motivate himself to say something.

"I have been dating Sakura and she is pregnant," he stated. Mikoto's face went from calm to surprised and terrified in under a second.

"How in the hell?" was all she could say.

"It was an accident, that is all I can say." Itachi sighed, sitting next to his mother. "She is the person I wish to marry, so it is not that terrible, however it seems that the wedding will have to happen soon before she begins to show. On top of that I must speak to father about this and he will not be as giving as you are."

"I know," his mother sighed harshly. "I won't say 'how could you do this,' because I highly doubt it was your or Sakura's fault, but be prepared for your father to say as such. He will demand to know why you chose her and demand to know what makes her so special compared to the women in our clan. I really won't be able to say much about this, but I will be there for silent emotional support," she smiled thinly at her son.

"I know," he stated quietly. "I have thought about what he will say and I am sure I am prepared to answer any and all questions he has, no matter how harsh they are." Mikoto nodded. She should have known. Itachi thought of anything and everything before he did something. He was smart, too smart for his own good sometimes, and he knew it. "I am also defecting from ANBU because Sakura asked me to. I doubt he will be very happy about that."

"Why are you defecting from ANBU?" Mikoto asked. Itachi was good at what he did and she didn't know why he would give it up just because Sakura asked.

"It will make her happy," he answered simply. "She is going through a traumatic experience. She is pregnant with my child and she is only twenty. She does not want her life to be over and needs me beside her. She worries when her friends are away on such dangerous missions and I cannot do that to her when I am the closest to her. I know there will be ANBU missions that I must take, but those are few and far between. It will make her worry less and that is all I want." Mikoto was pretty surprised at her son's words. He hadn't really thought about anyone's feelings like that.

"Itachi, I think you've actually fallen in love," she laughed, watching him with amusement and love. He only shook his head at her.

"I have already acknowledged that, mother, which is why I am here to tell you and father that I am marrying her instead of asking what to do about this situation," he said sharply. His statement only caused his mother to laugh. He fixed her with a confused stare and she just waved her hand at him, wiping her eyes.

"It's nothing, dear, I was just surprised to hear you say that is all. I don't think you would ask what to do in this situation if you did not plan on marrying her. You're very smart and you would figure it out on your own." Itachi nodded. He wasn't one to ask for help and everyone knew that about him. He didn't need help in this matter, either though.

"I suppose we should tell your father then, huh?" Mikoto asked, staring at the ceiling for a long moment. "I'm not looking forward to this," she sighed. Fugaku would no doubt be pissed and she would have to calm him down. Itachi wouldn't be able to, he was far too blunt and not very well versed in people's emotions.

"I suppose we should." Itachi rose slowly, his mother following soon after. She led him up the stairs and to the back of the house, where his father's study was located. She knocked three times softly on the door and opened it. Fugaku sat behind an old oak desk, pen poised over something as he raised an eyebrow at the intrusion.

"Yes?" he asked. It wasn't a wonder where Itachi got his social ineptitude. Fugaku wasn't exactly the king of social interactions and it transferred to his sons, Itachi more so than Sasuke.

"I have rather upsetting news," Itachi started, knowing he should just come right out and say it. "Sakura has become pregnant by me."

"What?" Fugaku's sharp voice was like a knife in the otherwise silent room. "How do you let something like this happen, Itachi?" Itachi knew this was exactly how his father was going to react and had fully been expecting something such as this.

"It is not expected," he stated, "However, Sakura is the one I was intending to marry."

"You did not think to ask me about this decision?"

"I did not think I needed to," Itachi shot back. "Whom I marry is my decision, father, not yours. I have chosen Sakura and I had chosen her a while ago." He wasn't about to bend to his father's will and allow him to shove him around like he did Sasuke and like he had in the beginning of Itachi's life. He had already gone through enough grief because of his father and wasn't about to go through more.

"She is not a clan member. That is something you should have come to me about," his father raised a skeptical brow.

"She is more upstanding than any woman in this clan," Itachi shot back. "She is courageous and strong and has more compassion in one hand than anyone in this clan does. She is the apprentice of the Hokage and singlehandedly runs the hospital while simultaneously taking on missions. I did not think I would have to justify my choice to you."

"What are you going to do about this?"

"Marry her," though it could have been seen as Itachi being condescending, his tone was far too flat and blunt to be as such.

"Have you not thought that I could disinherit you?" his father was still looking at him skeptically, but he didn't care in the least.

"You may, but then you are stuck with Sasuke as head of the house and he is not apt to handling the pressure and duties that come with it," he pointed out. Everyone in the room knew he was right. Sasuke had never been up to the pressure and expectations that being the head of the family would present him with. He couldn't do what Itachi did and never needed to, so he was in the clear. Itachi knew his father would never disinherit him because of that fact alone.

"Fine." Itachi had won, he could see it in his father's eyes. His father didn't like taking this lying down, but he really didn't have another choice. There was no going back now, not with the look of determination in Itachi's eyes. He was set on having Sakura as his wife and he probably hadn't even thought this could be bad. He probably had thought the entire thing through and decided it would be alright. Fugaku couldn't fight with that, not at all. "I hope you know the wedding will have to be very soon."

"Yes. Sakura knows as such as well. She will be moving into the house you gave me on the edge of the compound within the week and the wedding will be held within the next two months." Itachi pulled that last part out of his ass, but he said it with conviction and so it got by his father without an issue.

"And who will be planning this wedding?"

"Me!" Mikoto called, smiling as she said it. She had never thought she'd get a chance to plan a wedding, as it was usually the job of the bride's parents, but she knew Sakura's parents had died. Sasuke had told her when it happened and he'd been worried about her and didn't know what to do. "I already told Itachi I'd take care of everything." Itachi and his mother didn't look at each other, not wanting to give it away. They had gotten away with a lot of things by doing it like this. Mikoto would jump in when something like this happened and Itachi would just go along with it like they had already talked about it.

Fugaku set his skeptical glare on her now, but she didn't falter. He finally nodded sharply. Itachi took this as they were dismissed and they slipped out of the study, walking back to the living room to talk it out a few minutes before he headed back to Sakura's apartment.

"Thank you, mother," he said when they were back in the living room, far away from his father's earshot.

"It's not a problem, Itachi. I finally get a daughter," she winked at him. It wasn't really that bad. She hadn't had any daughters and Sakura had been around frequently when she'd been younger, so it wasn't that far of a reach. "I'll come by your house later in the week to talk with Sakura, alright?" her smile still didn't falter. She could offer the young woman pointers about pregnancy and ask her about the wedding, though she figured the young woman wouldn't really care much about it with everything else that was happening.

"It is still helpful," he said solemnly. "I do not wish for her to worry about much right now. She is already stressed about enough." He really was thankful for his mother's help. He really didn't need to put more stress on Sakura's shoulders. She was already holding the weight of the world at this point.

"Don't you worry about a thing," she smiled. "Well, worry about Sakura. I'll take care of the shotgun wedding," she jabbed at him. He only shook his head, smiling at her. His mother certainly did have a sense of humor. It was a wonder he and Sasuke weren't more on the titillating side of life when she so clearly was.

"I should get back to her," he sighed. "She is having issues being alone right now."

"I would too." Mikoto pulled him in for a quick hug, surprised when he actually returned it. It seemed that Sakura was making him just a little more normal, huh? "I'll see you soon, okay?" she smiled when he pulled away and he just nodded.

"Goodbye," he headed for the door. He walked quickly through the compound, determined to get back to Sakura quickly. He didn't want to leave her alone for too much longer. He didn't know what she was doing or how she was feeling and that scared him a little more than he'd like to admit. He knew she wasn't in a good place at the moment and he wanted to be there every second to make sure she was okay.

Thankfully, when he got back, she wasn't crying or barricading herself somewhere alone. She was lying on the couch, a hand over her forehead, eyes closed and something that smelled great in the oven. It was obvious she tired herself out cooking and he wondered what it was. She had not invited anyone over, there was no one else in her apartment, and he wondered why. She really didn't seem like she wanted to be alone.

"Hello," he said when he leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, not getting up when he pulled away. "What have you been up to?" he knelt beside her since there wasn't room for him to sit. He brushed her hair out of her face and watched her sleepy green eyes open.

"I went to the market and I made dinner," she said, sighing. "I also went to see Tsunade."

"And?"

"I'm two months along and I didn't stress anything by going on that mission," she turned over onto her stomach and stared listlessly at the sofa. "The fetus is healthy, but there's no way to tell what gender it is and blah, blah, blah," he hated her tone right now. She really didn't sound happy that she was pregnant. She really didn't sound happy that he was there beside her.

"Would you like me to go?" he asked. He was feeling quite confrontational after seeing his father and wasn't about to let her push him around, either. He would do anything for her and she knew it so he really didn't understand the attitude at the moment. He didn't understand what was so terrible about being pregnant with his child.

"No," she pulled herself up into a sitting position. "Itachi," she stopped herself. She busied herself with straightening his shirt, her fingers catching in his collar. She was crying in the next moment again and she leaned forward, resting her face on his shoulder. "I'm so, so scared, Weasel. I don't know what's going to happen next and there's nothing you can say that's going to make me feel better. I don't know what makes me feel worse at this point," she whimpered and her fingers tightened in his shirt.

"Shh, Sakura," he brushed his fingers through her hair. "It will be alright, you'll see," he was trying to be understanding and soft, but his words were unsure because he had not had much practice with them. He had found it easier to calm and comfort her, but he still had trouble from time to time, like right now. Her words worried him and he just didn't know what to say anymore.

She only cried harder, moving from the couch to throw herself against him. "I don't like this!" she cried. "I can't do this, I really can't."

"Sakura," he said sternly, pulling her away from his shoulder. "Listen to yourself. Do you hear what you sound like?" At this point he was just letting his thoughts out before they registered in his head. When he didn't know what to say to her, he just let his thoughts out without dwelling on them. "You sound like that twelve year old girl that could not fend for herself. Are you that girl?"

Sakura sniffled and wiped her eyes, staring at him with wide eyes. She just stared at him for a few long minutes before a smile graced her face and she began giggling, falling back against his chest. He didn't think this would be a reaction and just wrapped his arms around her in his surprise.

"You're right, Itachi," she giggled. "I'm acting dumb, huh? Next time you can just slap me, you know, shock me out of whatever pity party I've been having."

"I do not think I could ever slap you," he said gently, amusement in his eyes. "I will only remind you that you are not who you used to be."

"That seemed to work," she smiled. "Expect me to cry some more at some point." He only nodded, hugging her close to his body. She fit so perfectly and he was quite glad she finally snapped out of it a bit. He wondered if she was just being subjected to crazy hormones right now. He really wouldn't doubt it.

"I will start moving your things soon," he said, looking around him. "My mother will come visit you at my home and she will help you with this," he tried to be comforting and she seemed to take it, smiling at him. "She also said she will plan the wedding, so she will be speaking with you about that as well." Sakura nodded again, though didn't lift her head to look at him. She was glad he was keeping his word and taking care of everything. He really did seem to want to keep her from worrying. It was a nice feeling and she thought she should allow him to care for her a little more often.

"I should get up, huh?" she asked, giggling a little bit. She was still sitting awkwardly in his lap on the floor, and it was just a little uncomfortable. Itachi nodded and let his arms go slack, allowing her to pull away and collapse on the couch. "Dinner's almost done."

"What did you make?"

"Veggie lasagna." She had been trying to make sure she made things he would like and he seemed okay with it. He honestly didn't care what she made. Whenever she cooked it was so good he didn't care what it was. "You want to get it out of the oven?" she asked, yawning. Why was she so tired lately? She really didn't know. Ninety percent of the time she just wanted to sleep and the other ten percent of the time she just wanted to lay there and stare at a wall. It was a weird way to feel for her.

"Sure," he stood and went to the oven, pulling the pan out of the oven. It looked extremely good. He left it on the stovetop to cook and walked back to her. She had her head on the arm of the couch and her eyes closed. He laid a hand on her shoulder and she sighed.

"I'm not sleeping, just resting," she muttered.

"Why so tired?"

"No clue," she sighed and sat up. "I'm not usually this tired, you know that, but I just want to sleep all the time lately. Maybe I just pushed myself a little too hard to get home from that mission and now my body is taking it out on me," she shrugged. She wouldn't be surprised if that's what it was. She had been tired the entire mission and there wasn't really time to rest on it. Her body was just recuperating at this point through a lot of sleep and relaxation. She didn't really mind. Itachi would lay with her anytime she wanted him to and he wouldn't care at all.

"We should eat and then we can get you back to bed," he said, pulling away from her again. If all she wanted to do was sleep tonight, then he would let her. She nodded and he went to the kitchen, bringing back a couple plates a few minutes later. She smiled and sat up, digging in.

"This is very good," Itachi said, taking a bite. "Thank you for making it." Sakura only nodded. She hadn't eaten anything that day and was too busy eating to answer. He didn't mind, only continued eating himself. She ate a little more than normal, but he didn't think it odd. He washed the dishes and covered the leftovers, putting them into the fridge before going back to her. "Would you like to go to bed now?"

"Not yet," she sighed. "I wanted to ask you how it went with your father." He had forgotten to tell her and it was making her anxious thinking about it. She wanted to make sure everything went okay and everything was going to be okay. She didn't know much about his father, hadn't really met him before, but she knew he could be quite cold and unmoving. Sasuke had complained about him for years.

"It went fine, Sakura. I know how to deal with my father just like you know how to deal with Sasuke and Naruto. I told you not to worry."

"That doesn't help my worrying," she sighed. "You think telling me not to worry is going to stop it, but it won't Itachi. I might worry less, but that's about it," she shrugged. He only shook his head at her.

"You're such an interesting person," he finally said after a long minute. She only smiled. "Come on," he pulled her into his arms and carried her to bed, placing her gently on her bed. She curled into a tight little ball and grabbed his arm, not letting him leave. He chuckled. "I was not going to leave you, Sakura."

"I just wanted to make sure," she pouted. He only smiled and climbed into bed beside her, pulling her on top of him. He wondered how much longer he would be able to do this. Her stomach would be too big as the months went on and he wouldn't be able to pull her on top of his body anymore. He was going to miss that, but it wouldn't last forever. He could settle for that at least.

"What do you have to do tomorrow?" he asked, wondering if she had to work at the hospital or not.

"I don't have to do anything. Tsunade wants me to rest a lot after that mission so she gave me a few days off before returning to work. It's helpful. I'll get to sleep all my exhaustion at least," she smiled and rubbed her cheek on his chest. He nodded. That certainly was good. He wanted to make sure everything was okay for her.

"When do you return then?" he wanted to know. He was going to be watching her closely and she knew it. She seemed to accept it at this point instead of trying to fight him. She wasn't going to win this fight.

"On Monday," she sighed. That gave her about three days, not including this one. He nodded. She yawned and settled against him, her eyes closing. She was so tired lately and absolutely hated it. She wanted to stay up and talk to him more.

"Do not worry. Go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake," and of course he knew every time she was trying to keep herself up.

"Alright alright," she sighed. He rubbed her back softly and rhythmically, soothing her into sleep. It was easier to get her to sleep today than it was last night and he was glad. He didn't like that she'd been having issues getting comfortable. He didn't know what was going to happen next and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. He wasn't ready, not in the least, but he would have to face it anyways.

He sighed and leaned back into the pillows, turning on the TV. He wasn't tried yet. It was still pretty early in the night and he wasn't feeling too tired yet. He tucked the blankets around her and settled in for a calm night plagued by worries and things he couldn't change. He shoved his thoughts away and tried to numb his feelings out for the time being. He could worry about that later when Sakura was awake and could calm him. Everything would just have to wait for now.

* * *

 **My phone casts a glare on the wall and both cats are chasing it like the idiots they are.**

 **M**


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologize that this is late. My bike broke so I've been walking to and from work which is an hour and a half long hassle and then I've been drinking a lot because when my mother's awake when I get home she WANTS THE ALCOHOL ESPECIALLY MADE BY ME. Ever tried hot apple cider with honey, lemon, ginger, and whiskey? Surprisingly good. She won't make it, though. I have to.**

 **Eh, can't complain. Means I get to mooch off my mom's whiskey. She gets my apple cider, I get her whiskey. It's a win-win.**

 **Hide yo virgin eyes and hug yo blankies, there's a lemon.**

 **Shower sex. It's good stuff bro.**

* * *

"Sakura? Itachi?" Mikoto gently opened the door and walked quietly into the still house. It was around noon and she didn't think Itachi was around, but she knew that Sakura was definitely still home. She was suffering from a lot of fatigue lately and so was taking it easy.

"I'm here," Sakura said, sitting up on the couch. Mikoto smiled and moved towards her, waiting for her to make room on the seat. Sakura moved over and reached down for the kitten that was plodding by. She set him in her lap, leaning her head back on the couch and absentmindedly petting him. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to check in on you mostly," Mikoto said, smiling. Sakura nodded, waiting for her to continue. "I didn't know how you were doing and I was wondering if the nausea's gone down yet."

"Not at all," Sakura sighed. She hadn't been back to the hospital yet and it'd been about two weeks. Shizune was taking care of her work for her with the team of chuunin medics she'd been in the process of training before this happened. Her nausea had been so terrible she was running to the bathroom every other hour. It wasn't conducive to a work environment at the moment and she had been eating and drinking a lot more than normal because of all this. She had to or she wouldn't get the nutrients she needed and would be so very dehydrated.

"I never had the nausea you do. Mine only lasted for a couple weeks before going away," Mikoto sighed. "Have you been eating a lot of ginger and mint?"

"Of course." Sakura gave a short bark of laughter. "I don't think I'd be surviving lately if I didn't." Ginger and mint helped calm the stomach and she'd been using a lot of it so she could keep something down long enough to digest most of it. "Did Itachi ask you to keep me company?"

"Was I really that obvious?" Mikoto asked, laughing herself. She had tried to be a little subtle about it, but Sakura was very observant and knew her son so very well. Itachi didn't want her to feel lonely and so asked his mother to check in on her periodically throughout the day. Mikoto would often end up staying a few hours and help her cook lunch or dinner a lot of the time. Sakura didn't mind her presence, just knew when Itachi was trying to pull a fast one on her.

"I just know Itachi," she smiled. "I haven't wanted to leave the house lately and he wants me to stop thinking about a lot of things, which is why he asks you to come over and talk about wedding stuff. I know it's happening within the next month or so, but I can't seem to be excited about it." Sakura often told Mikoto things that she would tell her mother. She didn't have a mother anymore and Mikoto was more than willing to fill that void. It was more than comforting and she felt more than happy to tell her these things.

"I know how you could feel that way," Mikoto smiled sadly. "I know that there's a lot of things changing for you and that you didn't see yourself getting married this young, let alone having a child. I am here, though, and I'm more than happy to watch the little one whenever you need some time for yourself," the older woman offered her solace, pulling her in for a hug. She knew the young woman needed a lot of support right now and was working with Itachi to make that happen. She didn't want her to feel like she was going through it alone while Itachi was trying to make sure she wasn't thinking too hard about anything and causing herself any undo stress. The mother son team was doing quite a good job though Sakura still seemed a little down in the dumps. Mikoto was certain Sakura would be more depressed if they weren't around for her.

"Thanks, Mikoto," Sakura said softly, returning the hug. "It's nice to know that I have someone that doesn't mind watching the baby." Though it was only a few months in, Sakura was already feeling the anxiety about the baby's arrival. She wasn't ready for it and didn't know if she ever would be. The months would fly by and she would be giving birth and then there would be a baby in her arms. She couldn't quite wrap her head around it.

"So, about that wedding stuff," Mikoto said, pulling away. She pulled out a binder from her bag and plopped it in Sakura's lap. "I need you to look through this and decide on flowers. We really can't spare an expense for this. It's the heir's wedding, so the entire clan will be there along with half the village. Even though it's not far away, we'll get it all done." She was trying to make this as painless as possible for Sakura, but she could still see the stress in her brow and in the way she bit her lip as she flipped through the binder.

"What about the dress?" Sakura asked as she looked. That was another thing she was scared about. Was she even going to fit in a wedding dress? She had gained a few pounds, but not enough for anyone to notice yet. She didn't know how it was going to be in another month and she didn't know how her body would adapt to such a change. She had never been overweight in the least and didn't know how the initial weight would fall before the baby bump began to show.

"Don't worry. I found a high waisted gown that'll hide any excess weight this early in a pregnancy," Mikoto smiled. "It'll look lovely on you. I'll take you to see it later this week. Just like I said, there's nothing to really worry about except for making sure you don't puke all over your dress," she winked and Sakura flashed a weak smile. Good, at least she was smiling a little bit, even at her lame joke.

"How about orchids and day lilies?" Sakura asked, showing her. Mikoto nodded. They weren't really in season, but nothing really was this time of year. She could go down to see Ino and get what she needed, though. The Yamanakas had a small greenhouse behind their flower shop and those types of flowers were always growing in there. They were popular for weddings, so they kept them growing all year long.

"That'll be pretty," the older woman smiled. "Alright, that's all I really needed to ask you," she sighed and Sakura handed the binder back to her. "I didn't think you'd want to be outside because it's quite cold, so it'll be held in the main house. We have a large hall and it'll be decorated quite beautifully." Sakura only nodded numbly. She hadn't really ever thought about her wedding.

"I suppose that's best," was all she could think to say.

"What's wrong?" Mikoto could tell there was something up with the younger woman. She had a sixth sense when it came to these things, though Sakura was easier to read than her two sons. It made it a hell of a lot easier to get things out of her, too.

"I just, I don't know," Sakura sighed. "I never thought about a wedding is all. I was never the type of girl to fantasize about my future wedding or anything and it just feels odd to think about it now. I never thought I'd be dating someone let alone getting married to that someone. It's just an odd feeling, I suppose. I don't think it'll be bad, it's Itachi after all, he would never do anything to make me unhappy. It's just an odd thing." She was just babbling, she knew. She couldn't stop herself, though. Her feelings were conflicting and confusing and she couldn't quite sort them out in her head.

"I get it," Mikoto smiled. "I never thought I would be married either. It's just the life of a kunoichi. You don't think there's a man out there that really understands you and I know you have anxieties about your friends going off on missions which makes it even harder."

"Yeah. I went after a lot of civilian men, but they really didn't understand it. They weren't particularly nice either. They just look for a good time because they don't have any excitement in their life like shinobi do. I was just setting myself up for heartbreak really," Sakura sighed. That's just how it was with civilians. They were scared of everything but they also didn't have a certain gratitude for life. They mostly just looked for something to thrill them for a little while before moving onto the next thing when they got bored.

"I did it to," Mikoto shrugged. "My parents really didn't know what to do with me and told me to get ready for a marriage interview one day with the heir. We really hit it off, though, and within six months we were married and within another year Itachi was on the way. It was certainly a shock and I didn't really know how to deal with it either."

"I suppose it's good that you come to visit me all the time, Mikoto," Sakura smiled, mostly to herself. "We have a lot more in common than we thought." It was a nice feeling, at least. It felt good to have someone to identify with and Sakura didn't really mind it. She liked talking to the older woman. She had felt a lot of the same things and identified with her feelings. It made her feel just a little more normal.

"I like talking to you, Sakura," Mikoto smiled back at her. "I don't mind telling you about my past. I hope it helps you."

"It does," she assured her, "It definitely makes me feel a whole lot less crazy, that's for sure." She hugged her little kitten to her chest. "This is Tobi by the way. Itachi went out and got him for me because he thought I could use a companion when I'm all alone and don't know what to do with myself." Mikoto smiled, but didn't reach out to pet the kitten. She wasn't too big on pets, though didn't really have anything against them. She just wasn't an animal person. Sakura didn't seem to want to let her touch him anyways, so she wasn't bothered.

"That's sweet," she finally said. "Itachi cares about you very much. You're good for him, too. He has never been one to show much emotion, but he's doing it a little more here and there. It's certainly odd and a little surprising sometimes, but it isn't bad. His father lacks empathy and sympathy and never really learned it. It is one of his greatest flaws and it was passed on to his sons. I'm glad that Itachi is learning those things."

"He had to so he could deal with me," Sakura laughed. "He wouldn't be able to deal with me if he wasn't a little sympathetic. He's been getting a little more compassionate too, at least towards me. At first he didn't know how to comfort me and sometimes he still doesn't know, but it's getting a lot easier for him and he doesn't hesitate as much." Itachi had changed so much since she'd started being with him and it wasn't bad in the least. She loved watching him grow as a person, all because of her.

"I'm glad. I thought Itachi would be stuck in an arranged marriage, too. Fugaku and I managed to fall into a sort of best friendship love, but we were never really in love," Mikoto smiled sadly at the floor. She'd never really been in love and she kind of regretted it. "I'm glad Itachi got the chance to be in love and marry his love." Sakura looked at the older woman for a long moment. She hadn't thought of that. She hadn't thought that Mikoto didn't love Fugaku like a lover and hadn't thought that she hadn't really ever had the chance to be in love. She was such a warm, happy, and smiling woman. It just had never occurred to her that the older woman had regrets about never being in love with the man she married.

"I love Itachi," Sakura said, mostly to ease the woman's fears. "I never thought I would find love and Itachi was very persistent in chasing me, which is why I gave into him. I know he loves me, so there's nothing to worry about there. I'll make him happy even if I'm being a raging pregnant bride." Mikoto cracked a smile and Sakura felt just a little prideful at making her smile and feel a little better.

"I doubt you'll be raging," Mikoto laughed. She had never known Sakura to be anything but sweet and caring. She couldn't really picture her being angry, though she knew she was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

"I have quite a temper," Sakura laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, though. My temper won't be focused on you, mostly Itachi and the fact that I'm fat and waddle everywhere," she rolled her eyes. "I won't cause him bodily harm, though. My chakra's all out of wack. I don't think I have the focus right now to channel my chakra correctly." That was another reason she hadn't been back to the hospital. She was afraid she was going to screw something up terribly and didn't want that looming over her head. It was just safer to stay away right now and Tsunade agreed. Perhaps she could go back soon to start doing paperwork again, but that would be all she could do.

"I've never had your temper directed at me, so I really don't know what to expect," Mikoto laughed. "I'll leave my son to deal with it, though. I'm pretty sure he'll be fine."

"Itachi's been dealing with my temper for a bit now," Sakura nodded, "I haven't managed to kill him yet, so I don't think I will within the next six months. I might murder him while I'm giving birth, though." Sakura had assisted in many births and definitely knew what to expect. She just hoped Itachi did too.

"Well, why don't we get your mind off of this?" Mikoto asked, standing up. "Why don't we go to the market and get some things for dinner? We can go to the main house and Sasuke will join us. I know you like seeing him," she smiled. Sasuke didn't know that she was pregnant. He didn't even know that she and Itachi were getting married. Hell, no one knew, not even Shisui or Naruto. Sakura didn't know what to tell them or how to say it. She was putting it off until she absolutely had to.

"You know, I still haven't told him," Sakura sighed. She got up anyways and went to the door to get her shoes on, Mikoto following suit.

"You really should," Mikoto said, holding the door open for her. She closed the door behind her and then they were walking through the compound. Sakura thought she could feel everyone's eyes on her and she knew they were looking at her, but only looked straight ahead, ignoring the stares. She wasn't going to give into the stares, didn't want to. She didn't want to see the accusing looks and curious glances.

"I know I should," Sakura sighed. "I just don't know what to say. It would be easier if I was already married to him and got that bombshell done and over with. I didn't tell you how Sasuke reacted when he found out me and Itachi were dating. Now I'm pregnant, we're getting married, Sasuke's going to flip a shit and give birth to a horse in the same second."

"Sasuke does have a tendency to overreact," Mikoto laughed. "I would just think it through and tell him when you're ready. I would do it before you start to show, though. He might get a little suspicious if you're as big as a whale and haven't told him yet. He may get more upset, too."

"I know, I know," Sakura sighed again. "It's just something that I have to think about and tell him with a lot of care. It's not like when I told him I was dating Itachi. I just kind came out with that. This takes a lot more compassion and thought."

"That is true. You can just sit him down and break the news gently. I would suggest having Naruto there. He seems to be able to calm Sasuke down very well."

"That means I have to tell Naruto first." Sakura was glad Mikoto was talking this out with her and helping her make a plan. It was helpful and easier to think of something when she had someone to bounce ideas off of. "If Naruto's surprised he doesn't do well in calming Sasuke down."

"That's a good plan," they finally walked through the gates and Sakura was more than glad to be away from the stares of the clanspeople. Their eyes were always on her the moment she stepped into the compound or came out of the house. It was a big part of the reason she just didn't like leaving the house.

"I suppose it is," Sakura said. They were silent from then on. Sakura was just lost in her thoughts and Mikoto was enjoying their walk together. It wasn't often the older woman would leave the compound, she had enough things to deal with on the inside, but it was nice to leave every now and then. It was even better that her future daughter in law was by her side. She liked bonding with the young woman. Sakura was certainly easy to get along with.

"What would you like to cook?" Mikoto asked as they walked through the market. Sakura only shrugged. She didn't know what to make any more than she did. Sakura hadn't been cooking much lately. She really just had been so very tired and she was starting to think she was low on certain nutrients in her system. She'd have to start taking supplements to even it out.

"What about burgers?" Sakura asked. She could certainly go for a burger right now. Sakura had started getting intense cravings for certain foods. They weren't odd. It was something like she wanted a very specific snack or she wanted pasta and a lot of it. She supposed she was lucky she wanted to eat so much. With the throwing up several times a day she shouldn't want to, but she always did.

"If you'd like burgers, we can make burgers," Mikoto laughed. She led the way through the market and got everything they needed, handing the bags off to Sakura. She had learned, quite early on, that she didn't like to feel useless and let others do things for her. She would insist on carrying the bags if nothing else and Mikoto just let her have at it at this point. She really didn't have a choice and it made Sakura happy to feel useful.

"Sakura!" Naruto was running down the street, hands over his head as he yelled her name to get her attention. Sakura became quickly annoyed by the blond and gave him an unimpressed stare when he finally came to a stop in front of her. "Sakura! I haven't seen you in like a month!" He hadn't seen her since before her ANBU mission and had wondered where she'd gotten off to. He missed her and didn't like that she was basically nowhere to be found.

"I've been busy, Naruto," Sakura sighed, watching him. Mikoto nudged her shoulder and Sakura understood what she wanted her to do. "Do you want to come to the main house for dinner tonight? We're making burgers." She tried to push her annoyance away and make her voice rather pleasant. Naruto, not being the master of observation, didn't seem to notice anything amiss.

"I would love to! When should I be there?" he asked loudly. Mikoto could understand why the young man annoyed her sons so much. He didn't seem to have a normal speaking voice. He seemed to always be yelling something and she didn't like that. She couldn't complain, though. He wasn't her son, at least. She didn't have to hear it every second of every day.

"You should just come back with us now," Sakura shrugged. "There's something I have to tell you anyways." Naruto's face fell and he looked completely serious.

"Are you and Itachi breaking up because me and Sasuke were waiting for the day you gave up on him," he said in a loud whisper, trying to be courteous of Mikoto's feelings. Sakura narrowed her eyes and smacked him upside the head.

"We're having dinner at the main house and I'm with his mother, dumbass, do you think we're breaking up?" she asked irritably. Naruto looked rather sheepish and grinned, scratching his head and shaking it back and forth slowly.

"Sorry, Sakura, I guess I didn't think about that."

"You rarely ever do," she shot at him, rolling her eyes. "Come on, we were just about to go back," she turned back down the road, in the direction of the compound. Mikoto followed suit and all three of them walked back. Sakura seemed a little hesitant to Naruto when they got to the compound gates and he wondered why.

He didn't have to wonder why for very long. Everyone was staring at her and Naruto, even as big of a dumbass that he is, noticed immediately. All eyes were on her, not even him or Mikoto, as they walked through the compound. He watched Sakura curiously, wondering what exactly was going on. Sakura seemed to be determined in ignoring the stares and the occasional whispers, though her step was a little faster.

Mikoto opened the door to the main house and Sakura entered first, setting the bags she carried on the counter. Naruto followed her into the kitchen, dragging a chair from the dining room to sit and watch the two women. Mikoto went right to prepping the food to cook, Sakura working beside her. Sakura didn't know what to say to Naruto, but knew he was going to ask eventually. His curiosity would get the best of him and she would have to come up with an answer then.

"So, Sakura," he said a few minutes later, "What is it that you have to tell me?"

"Well, Naruto," Sakura stopped chopping onions and sighed, staring at them. "I'm pregnant." The color drained out of Naruto's face and he stared at her, mouth open and gaping. He was just a little stunned and just a little speechless. He didn't really know what to say at first and she crossed to him, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"I was jumpstarting your brain," she shrugged, "You know I have to do that every now and then." Naruto would have stayed in that state for at least five minutes if she didn't hit him upside the head. He shook his head.

"I was just a little surprised. I didn't think I'd ever see the day you were pregnant. Wait," he looked up at her in alarm, "It's Itachi's right?!"

"Yes, dumbass," she rolled her eyes. "I didn't go around sleeping behind his back if that's what you're implying idiot. Something happened and I ended up pregnant, easy as that. Since I'm pregnant and not planning on getting rid of the child, Itachi and I are also getting married in the next month." Naruto was, once again, stunned into speechlessness and gaping at her. She smacked him upside the head again to help his brain once more.

"OW! Look, I'm happy for you guys," Naruto held his head for a minute, looking at her in mild betrayal. "I just don't really know what to say. I didn't think you'd ever date someone, let alone get pregnant and marry that person."

"You sound like me a couple hours ago," she laughed, finally going back to chop her onions. She was doing just slightly better in focusing. A little weight had been lifted off her shoulders in telling Naruto about her news, though she knew the hardest part was yet to come. The hardest part was going to be Sasuke and dealing with his childish reaction. She really wasn't looking forward to it. Sasuke still had a bit of growing up to do and he wouldn't take this news very well.

"It's just a surprise. Will I be invited?!" Of course, Naruto's next thought was making sure he was invited to the wedding. He had never thought he wouldn't be invited and Sakura just rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe he was asking this. It was such an obvious answer, why couldn't he just answer it for himself?

"Of course, dumbass," she deadpanned. "I don't think I would get away with it if I didn't invite you. Hinata's invited anyways. She's part of a prominent family in the village, so she'll have to be invited. Therefore, even if you weren't, she'd be allowed to bring you anyways." Sakura knew how these wedding works at least. She had been to a couple of them, though didn't stick around for the reception. One had been for Neji and the other was for Kiba. Though they were both her friends and she had stuck around long enough to congratulate them, she wasn't a wedding person. She wasn't even looking forwards to her own!

"Oh, thank god," Naruto actually seemed extremely relieved that he knew he was invited. Sakura just rolled her eyes and tossed the onions into a bowl, going on to chop some peppers to put in as well. Mikoto was working on the hamburger, kneeding the spices and now the onions into it. She was glad to have Sakura around more often than not. She was a great partner to cook with. "So who else have you told about this?"

"No one. I need you to know so you can help me with Sasuke. I just haven't seen Shisui to tell him and I can't possibly tell Ino or else this is going to be all over the village within three hours. My personal life isn't fodder for the rumor mill," she said the last part darkly and Naruto knew he shouldn't say anything if he wanted to keep his ability to procreate.

"So when are you going to tell Sasuke?" Naruto asked, raising a brow. There was never a good time to tell Sasuke anything. There was no planning when it came to him. There was blurting it out and dealing with the explosion afterwards. Naruto had been his friend long enough to know that's how it always went down.

"Hopefully tonight," Sakura sighed. "After dinner, though. I don't want him to be angry _and_ hungry. He'll never forgive me then," she gave a short bark of laughter, one Naruto joined in with. She handed the peppers off to Mikoto and she added them to the hamburger. They had also gotten things to fix pasta salad, so Sakura went about putting a pot of water to boil and began chopping ingredients for that.

"I think it'll make it easier for him to take it too," Naruto said, leaning back in his chair. "You know Sasuke. He gets a whole lot more grumpy when he's hungry and that's an even worse time to tell him something." Sakura nodded.

"I know, idiot. I've known both of you since we were kids. I understand both of you now and I understand what to do in difficult situations. There's nothing that's going to stop Sasuke from being pissed, but it'll make it just a little bit easier if he's got a full stomach." This knowledge came from years of telling Sasuke shit that he didn't particularly like. He would get over it a hell of a lot faster if he had a full stomach.

"Take notes, Mikoto," Naruto laughed. Mikoto only rolled her eyes at the two. They'd obviously been friends for a long time. She could tell just from the way they spoke to each other. It was certainly sweet to witness.

"I don't need to take notes, Naruto," she answered flatly. "I've known Sasuke and Itachi longer than you. I know how to deal with them," she winked at the blond and he only grinned back at her. He always liked Mikoto. She had a sense of humor that her sons and husband didn't have.

Sakura leaned back against the counter, her food prepping done. She was just waiting for the water to boil at this point and Mikoto was still getting the burgers ready. Sakura lurched forwards and turned on the oven, realizing that they hadn't. It was certainly annoying when she forgot to preheat the damn oven.

"Sakura?" Naruto watched her for a few minutes, noting that she had a displeased look on her face and a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said, voice strangled. "I'm just nauseous." Seriously, these bouts of nausea were getting obnoxious. She couldn't wait for this period of pregnancy to pass so she could go back to eating regularly and not have to run to the bathroom five times a day just because her baby was screwing her stomach up.

"Come on, bathroom," Naruto jumped up immediately, grabbing her arm. He knew she could push the need to vomit down for a while, but he also knew she wouldn't make it to a bathroom in time if she did. He had been around far too many times when she was drunk to know that. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her along to the downstairs bathroom. He held her hair from her face for her while she retched. She didn't feel embarrassed having him there. He had seen her throw up so many times and she couldn't feel ashamed anymore for it.

"Thanks, Naruto," she said when she pulled back, going to the sink to rinse her mouth out. He rubbed her back and smiled at her in the mirror. He really was like the brother she'd never had, just like Sasuke was. Unlike Sasuke, however, he was much better at being the nice brother that just loved her dearly and looked out for her. He wasn't that overprotective and made sure she was okay when he knew she was having a tough time.

"Let's go back to Mikoto," Naruto said after a few minutes. Sakura was just leaning on him, her eyes closed. He wondered why she was so tired, it was pretty early in the afternoon and he knew she wasn't doing much outside the house. He wondered if fatigue was a side effect of her condition, but didn't want to offend her by asking. "Come on, Sak," he managed to get her to stand upright by herself and she walked tiredly back with him to the kitchen. Mikoto was just putting the burgers on an oven sheet and the pasta was already cooking in the pot Sakura had put on the stove.

"Sakura, are you feeling tired again?" Mikoto asked, walking to her. Sakura had never had anyone fuss over her like this. Well, she hadn't had someone fuss over her for a few years since her parents died. It was certainly a nice feeling to have.

"Of course I am," she said tonelessly. "I'm always tired lately. Does it ever end?"

"Well, it's different for everyone, dear," Mikoto led her to the living room and sat her on the couch. She pulled a blanket from the back of the couch and pulled it over her, ushering her to lay down. "I wasn't ever tired when I was pregnant, not either of the two times. Some women are, though. It's okay. You take your rest and it'll be fine, okay?" Mikoto smiled at her, smoothing her hair down. Sakura couldn't help but think she was such a mom and that it was nice to have her fuss over her. She hadn't gotten to feel it in so long and she felt a rush of nostalgia.

"Mikoto?" Sakura called right before she walked out of the room. Mikoto turned to her, smiling, and was just about to ask what she wanted when Sakura reached up and wrapped her arms around her middle, pressing her face to her stomach. She didn't think this was crossing any lines. Mikoto didn't seem to think so either. She only smiled and rubbed her small hands down Sakura's hair and back. "Thanks," Sakura murmured, muffled by Mikoto's middle.

"No problem, dear. Now rest. I bet when you wake up, Itachi'll be here," she managed to pull her away from her middle and get her to lie back down on the couch. She fixed the blanket and made sure Sakura was on her way to a nap before going back to the kitchen.

"Is she alright?" Naruto was worried and he definitely thought he should be. This was unchartered territory and he really didn't know what to think or what to do.

"She'll be fine," Mikoto smiled, going back to dinner. Sakura had gotten everything ready so all she had to do was finish up and throw everything together. "It's just pregnancy. It affects every woman differently. She's going through a lot of nausea and fatigue right now and has been for about two months now. Itachi and I are hoping it passes soon."

"You can add me to that list, too," Naruto laughed. He seemed to take the news well and Mikoto was glad for that. Naruto had always been the one to support his friends unconditionally, even if they were wrong in something. He was a good person to have around, even if he was a tad bit loud and just a little obnoxious.

"She'll be alright."

"Yeah, she always is. We just worry because sometimes Sakura can be a little fragile. I haven't seen her in a while so I thought she was going through one of her episodes again. Her episodes are when she doesn't sleep a lot or eat a lot and just works at the hospital all the time. I would have come to find her earlier, but she has Itachi and he usually deals with those episodes pretty well. Sasuke's been tearing his hair out, though. He gets even more worried than I do and he gets a little more vocal about it when we're alone."

"Really?" Mikoto asked. She hadn't thought Sasuke would be vocal about his worry or any of his emotions. He was less like his father than Itachi was, but unless it was anger or frustration, Sasuke didn't show much else.

"He's gotten a lot better at telling his friends when he's upset," Naruto shrugged. "He's been worried that Sakura's been going insane lately because we haven't seen her around. We knew she moved and that worried him more because we didn't know where she moved and Itachi wouldn't tell him. I thought she was fine and would come to us when she was ready, but Sasuke gets a little impatient. He cares about her a lot and doesn't really know how to show it like me and Shisui do."

"That's certainly interesting," Mikoto said, her brow creased in thought. "Thank you for telling me that. I know Itachi's been changing recently because of Sakura's influence, but I never noticed that Sasuke had changed because of the same thing."

"Yeah, Sakura's a miracle worker," the blond laughed. "She's pretty amazing, you know? She just doesn't want us to worry about her, which is why she locks herself away when she's going through stuff like this. She knows Sasuke won't be happy, so she tries not to tell him until she gets through it. She knows that she can't get away with it this time, though, which is why she told me so easy." Naruto wasn't really that worried about her, but he would be if Sasuke's reaction was the usual. Sakura didn't usually take it very well when Sasuke exploded and he wasn't looking forward to it. At least she had Itachi now so he could calm her down and support her while he calmed Sasuke down.

"Why don't you go and find Sasuke?" Mikoto asked. "He doesn't know that we're having dinner here, so he won't think to come home." Naruto nodded, jumping up from his seat. He always had too much energy and loved that she gave him something to do.

Itachi came in a while later, knowing Sakura was here if she wasn't at home. He walked into the kitchen and smiled at his mother, complimenting her on how good the dinner smelled.

"Thanks, but it was mostly Sakura, Itachi. She's sleeping in the living room if you want to go see her." Mikoto smiled and turned back to the pasta salad she was finishing up. Itachi only went to the living room, finding Sakura curled up on the couch. He leaned down and placed a hand on her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her cheek. She wrinkled her nose and yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

"Hello," she said sleepily when she opened her hazy green eyes. He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her lips. She wrapped a hand in his shirt and kept him close for a moment before allowing him to pull away. "How are you?" she asked, resting her cheek on the throw pillow at her head.

"Fine," he assured her. "Nothing went wrong today. It was just paperwork, as usual." She nodded slowly, watching him. She liked watching him. She thought him so handsome. She liked watching his dark eyes and the way his hair fell over his shoulder when he leaned too far forwards.

"That's good," she smiled. She reached towards him and he grabbed her hand, helping her sit up. She didn't seem to want to sit up. She seemed to want to lie back down and go on with her nap, but now that he was here she wasn't so willing to go back to sleep. She liked spending time with him, that was true, and she didn't like sleeping all the time when he was there. It didn't matter that she was tired as hell; she wanted to see him and talk to him.

"How are you doing today?" he asked, sitting next to her. He had been holed up at headquarters today. Though he had defected from ANBU, they still asked him to stay on as commander. It meant he didn't have to go on missions, but he had to assign and debrief teams and coordinate with Tsunade on the entire ordeal. If someone didn't follow the rules, they were sent to him and he dispatched interrogators and spoke to the financiers personally, negotiating prices and whatnot. Though Tsunade could do this like she did for normal missions, the security risk was higher so it was better for an inside man to do it. Itachi didn't mind. It paid well and he didn't have to take as many missions, meaning he could come home to Sakura every night. It was worth it.

"I'm fine," she smiled at him, leaning on his shoulder. He took the chance to wrap his arm around her shoulder and squeeze her for a quick second. They looked up as the door slammed open and Naruto's loud voice filtered through the house, Sasuke trying to tell him to shut up.

"Sakura's here still!" he was saying, leading the dark haired man to the living room, a huge smile on his face. Sasuke raised a brow and crossed his arms. He didn't know what Naruto was going on about or why he was so excited. This was normal. Ever since Sakura had stopped being social, she'd been around his mother a lot and had been at his house making dinner at least four times a week. Perhaps he just wasn't as surprised as Naruto was.

"Hey, Sasuke," Sakura said, a smile on her face as she leaned against Itachi. He was so comfortable and she always missed him by the time he came home. She couldn't really help it. He was most of her social interaction lately and she liked being around him.

"What's up, Sak?" he asked as he collapsed in an armchair. He'd been training with Neji all day and was, of course, very tired at the end of it. Whatever was cooking smelled amazing and he was definitely looking forwards to eating it. "What's cooking?"

"Burgers and pasta salad," she answered easily, smiling. She certainly was smiley tonight. During the past couple of weeks she'd been grouchy and not in the mood for small talk. He wondered what changed and viewed her with a certain amount of suspicion in his eye. She didn't seem to notice, or maybe didn't even care, and carried on obliviously smiling.

"In the middle of winter?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow.

"Shut up. I wanted burgers and I prepared it, so don't act like you don't want it," Sakura shot at him. Here was the attitude he'd been talking about. She was usually pretty grouchy and he still wondered why she was acting so very odd today.

"Dinner's ready," Mikoto called. Sakura jumped up and basically raced to the kitchen. She was so, so hungry and just wanted some food. The others followed a little more slowly and Sasuke shot a confused look at his brother who just shrugged. He thought Sakura was acting a little odd today too, but he couldn't say he was upset about it. He liked it when she smiled.

They ate in relative silence, Mikoto thinking of something to say every now and then. Sakura was too busy eating and Naruto was too, though he was much louder and sloppier than Sakura. Itachi and Sasuke were just naturally quiet about eating and they weren't much for conversation to begin with. It was pretty much heaven for the two of them.

Itachi helped his mother wash up after dinner while Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto were in the living room again, just talking quietly with each other. Mikoto was smiling and humming softly to herself and Itachi wondered why the women in his life were so damn happy today. What happened? He wasn't going to get a straight answer out of either of them, though, so he would just have to wonder about it.

"What?!" Itachi immediately set the dishes he'd been washing down and walked quickly towards the living room at Sasuke's yell. Mikoto didn't even flinch or stop washing the dishes, merely ignored the situation that was going on in the living room. She must know what's going on, then.

"Sasuke, calm down," Sakura was saying when Itachi came into the room. She was on her feet, hands stretched out in front of her, almost touching her friend. There was a wild look of betrayal in Sasuke's eyes and he pushed Sakura away when she got too close. Sakura looked hurt at his reaction and tried to speak again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Sure you didn't," he spat. "Sure you didn't mean to fall in love with my brother and hurt me and sure you didn't mean to get pregnant by him so he'd marry you. You really have no shame, you know?" there was so much rage in his eyes and so much pain in Sakura's.

"Sasuke," Itachi said darkly, coming deeper into the room. "That is no way to talk to your friends." He stood beside Sakura and pressed a hand to her back, trying to soothe her, but she was already crying. She wasn't doing well with reigning her emotions in recently.

"No, she just decided that, since she can't have me, she'd settle for the next Uchiha she could find," Sasuke spat. There was a loud crack in the room and Sakura jumped while Itachi held mild surprise in his eyes. Naruto was standing over Sasuke, rage evident on his face as he grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up to sneer in his face.

"Don't you dare talk about Sakura that way, asshole," he said lowly, venomously. Itachi was surprised. He had never heard anything of that nature pass by Naruto's lips. "You didn't want her, remember? She gave up on you. We're all _so_ sorry that Itachi saw something in her that you didn't. Get over it, idiot. There's no reason you have to be such a dipshit." He threw the man back down to the floor and stalked to the door. Sakura was stunned as she watched her friend go and she ran to catch up with him, Itachi staring at his younger brother.

"What is all the anger for, Sasuke?" Itachi asked lazily, sitting on the arm of a chair near him. Sasuke still hadn't gotten up and he only shot his brother a venomous glare.

"You always get what you want, brother. You could not have left her to me?"

"You are talking of Sakura as if she is a piece of meat, little brother. You rejected her and she gave up on you, she told me herself. You cannot expect a woman to be there for you when you are finally ready. She will fall in love with someone else far sooner. She already has." Sasuke still glared at him. "You have always been one to show anger when something has not gone your way, Sasuke."

"You always take it away from me," he spat. Itachi was slightly surprised at the open animosity his brother was showing him. He didn't really understand it, either. Why was he so angry? Did he really take everything away from Sasuke that he ever wanted? Itachi narrowed his eyes. Nope. He just knew what he wanted and got it. Sasuke saw it and became jealous more often than not because of that fact. Sasuke was not nearly as talented in that regard.

"You cannot say that, Sasuke. I have taken nothing from you that you had a chance to have first," Itachi said simply, walking out the door. He couldn't deal with his brother anymore. He was going to take Sakura home and calm her tears and tell her that it wasn't her fault Sasuke acted like this. He was still such an immature child and had so much growing up to do. You'd think that that statement would apply to Naruto more so than Sasuke, but the opposite was true. Itachi was actually surprised with the maturity Naruto carried himself with.

"Naruto, I'm sorry, are you alright?" Sakura was saying as he walked out. There were tears still shining in her eyes and she was touching his shoulder, biting her lip. She really didn't want him to be upset and this whole mess was her fault. She hated that she was causing everyone so much pain lately.

"I'm fine, Sak," he assured her, forcing a smile in her direction. He wasn't angry with her, so he shouldn't take it out on her and he knew it. "I just can't believe how much of a kid Sasuke's acting right now, that's all. It's like his favorite toy got taken away or something."

"Sasuke's had issues with my and Itachi's relationship from the start," Sakura sighed. "I expected him to blow up, but not like that." She had been stunned and upset by his reaction and didn't understand why he acted like that. Sure, yes, he said that he was in love with her, but he seemed to have gotten over it in the past couple of months.

"So did I, but that's because I know I can't beat up Itachi if he does something stupid," Naruto laughed. Itachi laid a hand on his shoulder and he instantly froze, looking over his shoulder with a nervous grin. "Oh, hey, Itachi, when did you get there?"

"A few minutes ago. Sasuke seems to think I like to steal things he likes," Itachi said, sighing. "It is a complex my brother has had since he was a young child. He has always been in my shadow and I suppose he is jealous that I managed to wear Sakura down. To be fair, Sasuke had never shown interest and he is only jealous because it is me and you are giving me more attention than him."

"I don't see why that's a problem," Sakura pouted and began walking through the compound. Itachi gestured for Naruto to follow them and he did so happily. Sakura was just walking home. There was no way she was going back in the main house, not when Sasuke was being such a baby. "He never wanted my attention anyways."

"Yes, but he thought he was special to you in that you always gave him the attention he needed when he wanted it. He thought that you would not choose someone else. He thought that you were still in love with him and always would be," Itachi explained, pressing a guiding hand into the small of Sakura's back. "It shocked him when you entered a relationship and angered him that it was me. Now that it seems we are not going to break up, his openings and chances have come and gone and he is realizing that. He is not handling it well, however."

"Yeah, sorry about that by the way," Naruto said sheepishly, staring at the clouds. "I didn't mean to make such a scene in your mom's house, but the way he was acting was just fucking me up and I couldn't contain my anger."

"I did not think Sasuke would be the childish one in your friendship," Itachi commented. "I thought that you would be more prone to such outbursts." Naruto laughed and shook his head. Sakura only listened, not really putting anything into the conversation. She didn't really care to. She just liked listening to the conversation and silently agreeing.

"I was, way back when," Naruto grinned. "Sakura sort of beat it out of me, though. She didn't like that I had those outbursts all the time and it would cause a lot of hairy situations during missions, so I learned to calm down a little easier. Then I started dating Hinata and everyone knows she's super mature and calm about everything unless it's of utmost importance, so I learned a lot from her. Sasuke didn't really need to be told to calm down or anything, so Sakura went easier on her. He hasn't really had any good role models, though." Naruto sighed. "The only role models he's had are emotionally constipated family members that shove all their emotions down inside. He doesn't know how to express them healthily."

"Wow, Naruto," Sakura smiled. "I never thought you would say something so smart." She really was surprised. Naruto wasn't known for being smart. He was known for being something of a dullard and taking just a little longer to understand than most. She was surprised that he could come up with all of that and put it so eloquently.

"I have my moments," he smiled widely at her. "I just know Sasuke. I just kind of wish he grew up like me and you. It's going to take him a little longer, though."

"Even so," Itachi said, "his behavior is irreconcilable. He should not act as such around his friends, much less someone he has known for so long and has knowledge of her condition. It is even worse, however, because Sakura is my fiancée and requires a certain amount of respect, even from him," his voice was dark and he seemed completely set on having more words with his brother about the entire situation. They were walking up the path of his and Sakura's home now and he was never happier to see it. Sakura seemed excited too, her step was just a little quicker.

"He'll calm down eventually," Sakura sighed, stopping by the door to say goodbye to Naruto. "He's just being Sasuke and Sasuke gets over shit after a while."

"Sasuke still needs professional help," Naruto mumbled. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his words. He grinned, happy that he could make her laugh. "I'm off, I'm going to go see Hinata and talk to her about this. She usually knows what to do."

"Don't you _dare_ tell anyone else, Naruto!" Sakura yelled as he walked away. "If you do, you know I'll fucking kill you!"

"Promise, Sakura!" Naruto smiled and ran off. He wouldn't tell anyone this time. He couldn't. He was too afraid of Sakura's anger. Sakura only shook her head and opened the door, Itachi following her in. He followed her into the bathroom, where she started to strip.

"Why are you following me into the shower, Uchiha?" she asked, raising a brow as she turned on the water. Itachi only watched her for a moment before answering.

"I cannot join you?" he asked simply, watching her unwrap her chest bindings and step out of her panties. She sighed. He liked looking at her when she was nude. There was a barely noticeable bump on her midsection and he felt an immense sense of pride knowing she was carrying his child.

"What if I don't want you to?" she mumbled, picking her clothes up and tossing them in the hamper by the door. Itachi's body was pressed to her back before she could turn around, his hands on her hips and mouth on her neck. She stiffened instantly, a flush already on her cheeks.

"Why wouldn't you want me to?" he whispered near her ear, dancing his fingertips up her side in a feather light touch. She bit her lip and found herself wishing that he didn't have those pesky clothes on. It was true that she hadn't wanted him to touch her lately, not with how much weight she was putting on. She had never been more than a hundred and twenty pounds. She was feeling extremely self conscious and didn't even like how she looked without her clothes on. At that thought, the flush was gone and she was pushing away.

"Just leave me to my shower, Itachi," she said, not looking at him. She hadn't told him that she was having self confidence issues. She didn't tell him yet that she didn't like the fact she'd gained fifteen pounds in the past month alone. She didn't like being pregnant and always tired and always nauseous. She felt incredibly ugly and didn't want him to know that. She got into the tub and found annoyance when he came in behind her anyways, his hands on her hips again. "Itachi," there was a warning in her voice.

"What?" he asked, setting his mouth on her neck again. When he wanted something, he was going to get it. He didn't know why she was rejecting him, but he didn't care. He could make her want him and he knew it. He brushed his fingertips over her waist and her breath caught in his throat when he bit into her sweet spot, sucking harshly after. She was a little bit of a masochist and a little pain always turned her on, he'd found. He didn't have a problem acquiescing.

His hand drifted to her breast and toyed with a nipple while he continued attacking her neck, leaving dark purple marks in his wake. She leaned back against him, her body curving nicely to his and she could feel him growing hard. He turned her chin to him and set his mouth on hers, kissing her harshly and deeply. She mewled in the back of her throat and her hand was on his arm, fingernails digging into his skin. That's how he knew he had her. She could do nothing but clutch him and dig furrows into his skin.

She twisted around and he lifted her easily, leaning her against the wall and pressing his body flush against hers. He held her weight easily with one arm and he nudged a finger against her opening, grinning against her mouth when she involuntarily thrust into his hand. He had her. He liked making her dissolve into a mess of desire and sexual frustration. Sometimes it was the only way to get her to let him touch her. Teasing her was becoming his favorite past time.

He plunged two fingers into her heat and she dug her nails into his back, her moan swallowed by his kiss. He didn't know why she wasn't allowing him to touch her or why she wasn't instigating intimate touch, she'd been so very sensitive lately and he was loving it. He broke away from her mouth and dug his mouth into the unmarred skin of the other side of her neck, intent on littering it with love bites too. She wouldn't get away without them all over her neck and chest.

She was becoming wetter by the second, her moans growing in volume as well. He pulled his fingers away from her and entered her within the next moment in one fluid thrust. She tensed in his arms and let out a loud moan, leaning her head into his shoulder and digging her teeth into his skin. He didn't mind the pain, wouldn't ask her to heal it afterwards, and just thrust into her harder and harder. She held him tightly, her moans growing into shrieks with every thrust.

"Jesus Christ, Uchiha," she ground out, holding him as tightly as she could. He just continued thrusting harshly into her, pausing to grind his pelvis into hers every few seconds. Her grip tightened every time he did and he wondered how her grip didn't slip on his wet skin. He engaged her in a kiss, tongue invading her mouth as he thrust into her and she finally let go, her walls tightening around him as she did, shrieks swallowed by his throat.

Watching and hearing her come undone always made him lose control and he thrust once, twice more into her heat, her soft moans reaching him as he finally came. Breathing heavily, he leaned his forehead on the wall behind her, her head buried in his shoulder, a soft mewl coming from her as he was pushed a little deeper into her. He sighed and pulled out of her, finally growing soft as he left her heat.

She wouldn't quite look at him as he helped her wash her hair and her body and she didn't return the favor. He wondered why she was being so shy and moody all of a sudden. She didn't even press herself into his side when they got into bed and he became worried now. What was her problem? He didn't understand.

"Are you alright?" he finally asked after a few long moments. She didn't answer, just sighed. He wondered why she could be so upset right now and figured it must be because he had managed to get her to give into him. He didn't understand that either, though. She had enjoyed herself and he couldn't understand why she would be upset about it. "Why are you upset I touched you?" he asked next. She flinched, curling into herself a little more and he knew he hit the nail on the head. She would do little things that tipped him off to such things and he had learned, very early, how to identify them.

"I'm not feeling too pretty right now, that's all," she mumbled after a few long moments.

"Why is that?"

"I'm fat," she pouted.

"I don't think so," he said quietly, placing his hand on her waist and bringing his mouth down gently on her bruised neck. "I think you are endlessly beautiful," he whispered near her ear.

"How, though?" she asked, frustrated. She just couldn't see it. How could he find her beautiful when she no longer looked like she did? She found a great deal of fault with it.

"You are carrying my child," he answered honestly, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her snuggly to his chest. "How could I not find you beautiful?" She flushed, allowing him to pull her snugly to his chest. He couldn't care less with how she looked, but he couldn't help but find her even more attractive now that she carried his child.

She was speechless at his words and she couldn't breathe a word. She knew her face was red from the heat she could feel and couldn't think of a single word to say. He didn't seem to mind, only tightened his hold around her waist and pressed her tightly to his body. He would rather feel her front against him, but she didn't seem so giving right now. He had to settle for wrapping his body around hers. Suddenly, she turned around to face him, a heavy blush still adorning her features.

"You know I love you right?" she blurted out, staring up at him. He was speechless in his surprise for a moment. She never really just blurted it out like that, taking to asking him to tell her that he loved her first. He chuckled.

"I love you too, Sakura," he said quietly, brushing a hand through her hair. She closed her eyes at his touch and pushed her head into his neck. She was warm and comfortable here. His scent was calming and she liked the way he held her so tightly. It was almost like he thought she would disappear on him and he didn't want her to slip away from him.

"Are you tired yet?" she asked softly, eyes still closed.

"No. Get your rest. I'll just read," he instructed, moving her so she laid on his chest. She pouted at him.

"I don't want to go to sleep on you! That's all I've been doing lately: sleeping and eating. Why can't I read with you or something?" She knew he wanted her to take it easy and jut do whatever she wanted, but she didn't want to anymore. She knew she was tired and still nauseous ninety percent of the time and her chakra was all out of wack because of the baby, but she was getting sick of being treated like a porcelain doll. She wasn't a doll, damnit! She was Sakura. Snarky, asshole Sakura that just did whatever she wanted.

"Sakura," he gave her an amused look. "If you do not wish to sleep, you don't have to. You may do whatever you wish. I am not your jailer." She flushed and smiled. He always knew exactly what she was thinking. She knew it had to do with her voice and inability to hide any and all emotions she had, but it was a nice feeling. It was like he really did know her, inside and out.

"Hand me a book then, Weasel," she grinned at him. He only shook his head, that amused look in his eye, and reached for the nightstand, handing her a book. She rested her cheek on his chest and opened the book, completely content on lying like this for the next three hours. He didn't seem to have an issue with it and rested his book off to the side.

He wanted to laugh because she was asleep not even ten minutes later. He chuckled as he carefully slid the book from her grasp, marking the page and placing it back on the nightstand. He continued reading, feeling peaceful as the rise and fall of her chest relaxed him. He liked this. He liked the monotony of living with her and having things to expect. It was better than the life of a ninja and he had never wanted to settle down and do something such as this before falling in love with her. He continued on with his night, looking forward to seeing her smile in the morning.

* * *

 **As always, here's an update on my cats:**

 **THEY KEEP CLIMBING INTO THE LOFT. HOW DO CATS GET UP A FUCKING LADDER I DON'T FUCKING KNOW. JESUS CHRIST. I KEEP THROWING THEM DOWN ONTO MY BED BUT THEY DON'T FUCKING GET IT. SCREW YOU GUYS. NO TREATS FOR YOU TONIGHT YOU DOUCHENUGGETS.**

 **Does anyone actually read my whole cat thing at the end of these? Who of you 57 followers actually like hearing about my cats?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Do you know how bad my writer's block been lately?**

* * *

"Sakura, stop fidgeting. She has to pin it," Mikoto said sternly. Sakura sighed and shook her head, staring in the mirror. She couldn't help but fidget. This damn thing was too uncomfortable and she didn't like standing still for long periods at a time. It went against everything she had been taught as a ninja.

"I'll stop fidgeting when I'm out of this monstrosity," Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at the mirror.

"I don't think I've ever heard a bride talk like that," the seamstress laughed and put another pin in the dress. The wedding was next week and they would have the dress ready in a few days after fixing it all up for her. It wasn't very pleasant for her.

"Well, you don't deal with shinobi very often," Mikoto laughed. "We don't like dresses like this very much. They're very difficult to fight in and hard to hide weapons underneath."

"Which isn't too much of a problem for me," Sakura interceded, glaring at herself. She felt like a huge marshmallow and didn't like it. She would much rather a cultural kimono, but they were hard to move around in as well and heavy and hot. She had a feeling Mikoto knew about the hot flashes she got every now and then, so she couldn't be too upset about it.

"Well, that's true," Mikoto laughed. The seamstress seemed rather confused, so Mikoto took it upon herself to explain. "Sakura uses chakra control to make her punches hit a little harder," she smiled. "She doesn't really need the kunai and shuriken to make herself terrifying."

"Oh dear," the seamstress laughed nervously and Sakura just scoffed.

"Don't worry. There's no reason I would have to attack you," Sakura said flippantly. She sighed. How much longer would this last? She didn't want to stand still for too much longer. It was going against her instincts and it was starting to grate on her nerves. Mikoto knew she was getting antsy, and she hoped the seamstress would be done soon. There were still flowers to get and arrange and there was still food to decide on and Sakura had been pretty adamant about following her around during all of it so she knew what was going on.

"Just be patient," Mikoto chastised gently. "I bet Itachi will be speechless when he sees you next week," she smiled. Sakura only scoffed.

"He's speechless every night in bed."

Mikoto flushed and stared at her for a long moment, unsure of what to say. The seamstress just began to laugh and Sakura looked rather sheepish as she turned to look at the older woman.

"Sorry, Mikoto, it just kind of came out." Sakura didn't really sound sorry at all that she said it and Mikoto couldn't be upset. She just began laughing and it went on for so long that Sakura almost walked to her, concerned over her wellbeing.

"It's not that, Sakura. You've always been so respectful and all that around me, I just didn't expect something like that to come out of your mouth," Mikoto said through her giggles, trying to stem them. "I wasn't upset. You should do that more often!" Sakura seemed to calm with Mikoto's giggles and explanations and only shook her head, turning back to the mirror so the seamstress could finish.

"You know, Mikoto, I never thought you were a fan of snark, what with your sons having master degrees in the subject."

"I've learned to get over it," Mikoto laughed. "Yeah, it gets annoying with the other two, but you aren't one of my sons. Therefore, I can laugh about it," she smiled. Sakura only scoffed and shook her head.

"There, give us a twirl," the seamstress smiled up at Sakura.

"Can I not?"

"It isn't needed," she laughed. "Alright, let's get into the dressing room and get this off." Sakura nodded and stepped down carefully from the platform. The seamstress followed her to the room and helped her get out of the white monstrosity without destroying all the hard work she did pinning the thing.

"Alright," Sakura sighed as she came out, fixing her shirt. It was getting rather tight, though she kept wearing a lot of cardigans and sweaters to hide her growing stomach for now. No one had really noticed unless they were already told. Then they wouldn't shut up about it. Itachi especially. He just wouldn't keep his hands off her and wouldn't stop telling her how much he adored her growing belly.

"We'll see you in a few days," Mikoto said, smiling at the seamstress.

"Alright. I'll let you know if anything happens," she smiled back at the older woman. It wasn't lost to her that Sakura didn't seem too happy at the moment, but ignored it. All her interactions with the young woman weren't very good. She was usually in a bad mood and quite sarcastic about the fact she was getting married. She also knew, for a fact, that the girl was pregnant and thought it rather trampy.

Sakura just ignored the woman at this point and followed Mikoto out of the shop. Mikoto watched her, rather worried, but didn't want to say anything lest Sakura reacted rather angrily. Sakura had been reacting a little irrationally when she knew people were judging her. She seemed to be folding in on herself lately and it worried Mikoto, but she didn't really know what to do.

"Do you know when Itachi will be back from his mission?" she asked, hoping to distract the young woman. Her face scrunched and Mikoto knew she wasn't too happy about this subject. She really didn't want to think about that mission right now, was trying to ignore it by being out with Mikoto doing all this crazy stuff, but she just had to bring it up.

"He'll be home in three days," she muttered, glaring at the pavement. This was about ninety percent of the reason for her anger at this point. She hated that Itachi wasn't here and had been called upon for an ANBU mission again. The mission was for a team, at least, but it didn't stop her irritation coming out.

"I know you're upset that he's on a mission," Mikoto sighed. "Just try to calm down. It'll be over soon and he'll be back," she smiled. She could remember when Fugaku had gone on missions early in their marriage and she was left alone with the children all day or was pregnant and already pissed off a lot of the time. Sakura only shook her head.

"Let's just go do what we need to," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her stomach. The nausea had finally gone down and she was back working at the hospital a few days a week, though it was only paperwork. Her chakra was still all sorts of messed up and she wasn't about to screw someone up more than they already were.

Mikoto sighed and led her to the flower shop, hoping Ino was around. The blonde seemed to be able to make Sakura smile no matter what kind of mood she was in. She had thought of calling on her sometimes just to make Sakura smile again, but the pinkette never wanted anyone around lately. Mikoto was definitely seeing the brash side of Sakura lately.

Ino wasn't there and Mikoto felt let down just slightly. Sakura just leaned against the counter and let the older woman get on with the business, not really knowing what she was supposed to do anyways. The only reason she'd accompanied Mikoto any further than the seamstress' shop was because she was feeling rather lonely and didn't want to be in her house all alone.

"Hello, Mikoto, did you come to make sure your order was all set?" Ino's mother asked with a slight smile. She was not a woman that openly showed her emotions and was rather prim and proper, but she never showed either of them any hostility, though Sakura still seemed rather grouchy.

"Yes, and to give you the last payment," Mikoto smiled. Sakura was looking at some pink roses, rather admiring how much they looked like her hair. She barely listened while the elder women talked, mostly just wishing for this day to be over. Three days, that's all she had to make it through. It was quite a struggle just to keep herself from sleeping those three days away so she could see him again.

"Sakura." The young woman shook her head, as though she had been dreaming her day away, and looked up at Mikoto, her eyes almost not seeing her.

"Yes?"

"It's time to go, dear," Mikoto smiled. "Let's get you back home, okay?" Sakura just nodded numbly and followed the woman out of the door. She felt tired, so tired, as she was lately. She didn't know how long this fatigue would last, but she hoped it would die down soon. It was almost like the nausea at this point: they just switched with each other. She supposed it was better than throwing up every six hours or so.

She followed Mikoto back to the compound, walking slowly behind her. Mikoto didn't speak, not wanting to let her know what she was thinking. She didn't want to upset her. She was thinking that she wasn't looking too excited about the fact she was marrying Itachi in a week. She was sour most of the time and really didn't want anything to do with the wedding preparations.

"Thanks for putting up with me, Mikoto," Sakura said when they reached her front door. All she wanted to do was lay on the couch, her cat on her lap, and read a book. She didn't want anything to do with the wedding and she knew Mikoto had figured it out. It was quite hard to hide it while she was feeling like a marshmallow.

"Just make sure you smile on the big day," Mikoto smiled, turning back to the path. Sakura only nodded at the back of her head and slowly turned back to her door, opening it quietly. She didn't know why she opened it so quietly, there wasn't anyone here to hear her and greet her. She was feeling quite lonely with Itachi away, but she couldn't bring herself to go out and find her friends. She didn't want to be seen by anyone lately, her growing belly the cause of that. She knew it was barely noticeable. She knew only those that knew her best would figure it out, but she didn't want to chance it. She didn't want the village to be talking that she had gotten herself knocked up. She didn't want them questioning who it was and she didn't want Itachi to be slandered the moment they figured out it was him. She didn't want any of that.

She picked up her kitten on the way to her bedroom, cradling the small animal to her chest. This was the only thing that was making her feel better lately, what with Itachi off on a mission and unable to make her feel better about herself. She crawled into bed and surrendered herself to a nap, knowing she wouldn't get much done otherwise. She was just too damn tired.

She woke a little while later to the doorbell ringing. Groaning, she willed for the person to go away, but the doorbell wouldn't stop. Whoever was out there really wanted her attention. Sighing, she popped open her eyes to a very dark room and slowly pulled herself up by her hands. She rubbed her eyes and picked up her kitten again before going to answer the door.

"Shisui? The fuck are you doing here?" she asked, voice rather hoarse and more than grumpy. Shisui only grinned and pat her head while he walked over the threshold. "It's late isn't it? Go home before I make you," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Nah. Mikoto said she was worried about you. Apparently you haven't been eating much recently?" Shisui asked, a light smile on his face. He didn't want to do anything to upset Sakura, but he was sure she wasn't eating because she was just so tired and Itachi wasn't around to cater to her every whim, as he'd been doing as of late. He had also heard that she had quite a sour mood lately.

"I don't know why, I've been eating fine," Sakura grumbled, looking away from him. Truth be told, she was quite hungry, she just couldn't find the energy within herself to do it.

"Oh hush, little Sak, come on," Shisui laughed, shouldering past her and walking to the dining room. He had bought her favorite from a restaurant they used to frequent after missions. Sakura watched him silently for a few moments before quietly joining him, sitting quietly beside him at the table. He only grinned at her and pushed a takeout container in front of her. "So why aren't you excited to be married to my little cousin, Sakura?" he asked, already digging into his food.

"Have you noticed that I'm pregnant?" she asked sharply, turning her annoyed glaze to him.

"I have noticed. I also have been told. What does that have to do with anything? Shouldn't you be enveloped in that 'pregnancy glow,' or something?" he asked, laughing.

"Shut up," she grumbled, looking away from him. She didn't want to talk about her reasons and didn't feel like letting him take a look into her psyche. She wasn't feeling particularly sociable as of late either. She had shoved Naruto out a few times within the last week or so and Shisui had been ignored a couple times as well. Sasuke still hadn't gotten over himself, which she was slightly thankful for. She didn't think she could bear it if all three of them were bothering her at the same time. She thought she would scream.

"I will not. You know, even Mikoto has noticed that you don't seem very excited," Shisui said, dropping his fork for a moment to fix her with a serious stare. "If you don't seem excited, that definitely means you aren't. You aren't exactly hard to read."

"I haven't even been with him very long," she muttered. "All of a sudden, I'm pregnant and he wants to get married and he hasn't exactly asked what I want."

"Then what do you want?" Shisui asked, not paying attention to his food anymore. He was far too interested in Sakura.

"I don't want to do this," she sighed, looking away. "I don't want to be pregnant. I don't want to be married this young. Hell, I didn't even want to date Itachi, let alone marry him!" she shook her head, frustrated. "I just want to run away and be a hermit."

"You know you can't do that. You already said you would marry him."

"He never asked me," she shrugged. "I didn't really know what to say, I just agreed." She pushed her meal away from her and pulled herself up. "I'm not really hungry, I'm sorry." She walked off to the bathroom to take a bath, leaving him behind. She was feeling rather listless lately and didn't want anyone else to figure it out. Shisui didn't wait for her to reappear. He just cleaned up and left the home, knowing attempting to talk to her was impossible. When she was shoving people away, she wasn't going to let up.

Sakura washed herself slowly, staring at the wall. She didn't really want to get out of the warm water even though she had washed her entire body. She just sat there, her hands under the water, staring at the wall for a long while. She sat there until the water turned cold and goosebumps had risen on her flesh. She sighed and reached forwards to drain the tub, pulling a towel around herself. She just walked to the bedroom and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

She wanted to run away. She didn't want to go through with this. Itachi could usually quell her fears and make it go away, but it would lie beneath the surface until she was alone or when Itachi was asleep and she was left to her own thoughts. She sighed and pulled herself up, dropping the towel on the floor. Fuck it. Fuck everything. She was leaving and no one was going to stop her. She would find a new place to live, hopefully a place in need of a medic's center, and get away. She didn't want to be here and no one knew she was marrying Itachi. No one knew she was pregnant with his child. He would dodge the stares and murmurs if she went away and she knew it. His father would be happy too because his daughter in law wouldn't be some harlot that bagged his son because she'd fucked up her birth control one day.

She pulled out her backpack from the closet and pulled out a few scrolls she could seal her belongings into. Since she had moved in with Itachi, it wasn't much. She took all her clothes and some books, several rations and her medic supplies. She didn't want to be out on her own without her supplies.

She dressed herself in her anbu gear. No one would stop her if they thought she was on a mission, not even the guys at the gate. She would be able to toss a card on the desk while she passed. They wouldn't have time to react to a blank card, not with how fast she moved. They didn't know her mouse mask either, so no one would know it was her that left this night.

She shouldered her pack and smoothed her hair back and under the brown wig. She wasn't about to be caught because of her pink hair. This wig was quite long, reaching down to her waist. In the dark she could be mistaken for a lot of people. She hopped onto the window sill, ready to dart off into the night, when she looked down to the nightstand, making the mistake of looking around before she left. A quick stab of fear entered her heart and turned it cold when she noticed the picture. It was of Itachi's family, taken quite recently. Biting her lip, she leaned over and pulled the picture from the frame, the only thing she took that wasn't hers. Then she hopped out the window and ran through the compound as quietly as she could, a shadow in the dark of the night. No one noticed her, not even the guards at the edge of the compound.

Just as she thought, the guys at the gate didn't spare a second look at her as she raced by. They only raised their hand in a goodbye as she raced past, not even leaving the blank card she'd had. Perhaps they had seen a few anbu tonight. She hoped there weren't any anbu in the forest tonight. Most anbu knew each other's codenames and they knew she had defected already. They would think it odd that a random shinobi was about without a mission scroll.

Thankfully, she didn't run into any other shinobi. Though her chakra was all out of sorts, she knew she wouldn't make enough distance to make a difference if she didn't move faster. She stopped for a moment and shut her eyes and focused, staring at the wood of the tree she was on. Though it took a little more focus than normal, she managed to channel her chakra to her feet. She bounced off the tree branch and began moving farther faster. She pushed herself harshly, not wanting to anyone to be able to catch up with her when they found out she wasn't at home.

She knew they wouldn't find out until Itachi came home. She was known for pushing people away and not answering the door and so no one would think anything was off until Itachi came home and found that she was nowhere to be seen and his family hadn't seen her in three days. Though she was slightly sad now, knowing that she had left Itachi in the dust. She did have feelings for him, but she just wasn't ready for that sort of commitment. She was already trying to accept the fact that she was going to be a mother; she didn't know how she was supposed to accept being married too.

She didn't stop, even when the sun began shining over the horizon. She did remove her mask from her face, knowing she was far enough away from her village that anyone that crossed her path would either attack or keep on moving. She continued moving, wanting to put as much distance as she could between her and Itachi's arrival back in the village. She needed to get far and would take long detours if she came upon a river or a stream. She would jump into the water and run for miles upstream, making sure no nin dog could track her. If she came upon a lake or a pond, she would swim through it quickly, though did not come out exactly across from where she got in. She had been trained in how to throw off a tracking team and was putting her knowledge to good use.

She continued moving, not stopping to do more than relieve herself or eat a quick protein bar before continuing her journey. She thought she was moving rather slowly, but she hadn't really exercised in months due to her condition. She knew it was to be expected that her stamina and strength would wane slightly. She didn't care, only continued to push herself.

The sun dipped below the horizon and yet she continued running. She shoved herself strongly off each tree branch and hoped she was travelling rather far. She wasn't quite sure, not without a team telling her how well she was keeping up with them. She only shook her head. The era of teams was over for her. The era of a shinobi was over for her though she knew she would keep her skills strong in case she or her child were ever threatened. She wasn't so silly as to think she would be safe if she ran far enough away.

A full twenty-four hours later and she finally allowed herself to stop, though she climbed into the top of the tree she stopped in. It was a strong tree and no one would see her small body unless they were this high up as well. Most shinobi wouldn't be, so she thought herself safe enough. She pulled a blanket out of her pack and curled up in a small ball, letting herself fall into a light doze, light enough that she would waken at the lightest sound.

She stirred less than six hours later and pulled herself up into a sitting position, pulling a few protein bars out of her bag. She didn't have much time for anything else, though once she got to Tea country; she could stop at the other villages along the way to her destination and get a few good meals from the market stands.

Though her legs were so very sore, she pulled herself up. She had to continue on. Itachi was returning home today and she didn't want to be in fire country when he found that she was not there. She knew it would be pretty impossible to find her at this point, what with her knowledge of putting off trackers, but she couldn't shake the thought of wanting to be out of the country as quickly as possible.

Sighing, she took a moment to send healing chakra through her legs, easing the soreness out of it so she could begin again unencumbered. She launched herself off the tree branch into the world below and caught herself on a branch lower to the ground a few miles away. She continued travelling, her heart beating more and more quickly as she did. She didn't want to be caught and knew that, with Itachi's return, the village would be thrown into a frenzy to find her. She knew it wouldn't be easy to find her, not right now, but she wanted it to be impossible. She continued running through streams, rivers, and lakes, running herself in small circles in order to confuse any of those looking for her.

The scenery moved past in a brown-green blur, but she only continued looking towards the horizon as she ran herself in circles and ran as quickly as she could. She stopped for no more than a few minutes at a time, yet again either to relieve herself or have a quick protein bar to replenish her energy. Though her head was beginning to hurt from the lack of sleep and the way she was pushing herself, she only swallowed a pain killer and continued on. She made a mental note to give herself a once over when she could to determine whether she needed to rest for more than six hours. She didn't want to give herself a miscarriage. Her running wasn't about trying to get rid of the baby. It was from trying to run form a commitment to a man she wasn't so sure she loved.

She neared the border about a day later, an annoyance to her. She had wanted to be out of fire country before Itachi was to return and she had missed it by about seven hours or so. It couldn't be helped; she had had to stop to rest. She stopped for a quick moment, sliding her mask back over her face and fixing her wig a little more snugly on her head. The ninja at the border would be Konoha ninja, just jonin. They would, yet again, think she was just another anbu passing by to complete a mission. At this point, she knew she would have beaten a messenger hawk. It did not take a mere seven hours to fly to this part of the border. Furthermore, she had her mask and her wig. It would be rather hard to discern her identity with that. Sighing, she stopped.

They would tell Tsunade what mask she was wearing. She needed something else to further veil her identity. She bit her lip and went through her pack, praying there might be something in here that she could use.

Clay.

She had clay.

Why she had clay, she would never know. However, she could use clay. She pulled her mask over and began spreading the clay over the mask, hiding the markings on it. She tried to simply make another mask with it. If she went by the guards fast enough, they would simply think she had gone by too fast for them to see the mask markings. She hoped they would be in the middle of changing shifts or that she had mistaken the border and traveled too far east or west for the actual border crossing.

She had, in fact, mistaken her position in relation to the border crossing. Perhaps her tired mind had messed with her too much. She hadn't really been watching the main road and hadn't realized she had been a few miles east of the road. She saw the border checkpoint through the trees, but the jonin were slacking and didn't notice her. She only grinned to herself and ran faster.

Knowing the fishing village was along the coast, she began heading that way in the hopes she would hit it within the next seven hours or so. She didn't want to push herself as hard as she had within the first forty-eight hours. She didn't want to put herself or her baby in any undue danger. She crossed the road carefully, staying perched perfectly still on a tree limb, watching both directions for a long five minutes before jumping across quickly.

The sun was beginning to rise again and she knew her friends at home were probably worrying over her and wondering where she had gotten to. She didn't know if they had assembled a search party yet. She didn't know if he was, perhaps, waiting for her to return to him. She didn't know if he thought she was off training or being by herself. She didn't know how long his patience would last before his worry began to get the best of him and he began looking for her frantically. She almost wished she hadn't done this, but she knew better than to regret her decisions.

She knew this would be better for him. No one would talk about why they got married so quickly. No one would give him curious stares and whisper about them in their wake. No one would judge him for getting some girl pregnant, even Sakura Haruno. They would wonder why she left and would always wonder why she didn't return, but all in all, it was for the best. She didn't want to bring everything down and cause Itachi destitution. She couldn't bring herself to do it. She just needed to get away and, though her reasons and mind were blurring, she knew this was the right thing to do.

She narrowed her eyes at the horizon and continued pushing herself to continue on, knowing her chakra was getting pretty low. She stopped to eat a protein bar, giving herself a thirty minute rest to recharge what chakra she could. She was slightly surprised she had made it this far with little rest. What with her chakra being weird and such, she thought she would have wasted more than she used. She supposed she still had that perfect chakra control.

She sighed and pulled herself up again, stilling to listen to the world around her. She only heard the sound of nature and her own heartbeat. There was no sounds of searching, nothing of pursuit. She shook her head. No one would be able to find her, no out here. By the time they looked in this area, whatever trail they could find would be cold. They would be able to track her to the first river she'd crossed, maybe the second, but they wouldn't be able to find the trail any further than that.

She launched herself forwards and continued on her way, landing quickly on every tree branch and launching herself as hard as she could to propel herself forwards a good hundred yards or so. She was getting tired more quickly, but knew that was just because she was tired after the first forty-eight hours. She wouldn't have to travel nearly that long for the rest of her journey, wouldn't even need to travel for more than a day at a time once she got to the fishing village.

It was late evening when the road came into view and the small village beyond that. Before letting herself out of the tree, Sakura removed her anbu clothes and mask, pulling out civilian travelling clothes instead. She shoved them on quickly and hid her pack underneath the light cloak. She didn't want her pack to be easy to steal from her. She fastened her light cloak tightly around herself and took a cursory glance in both directions of the road before hopping lightly out of the tree and landing in the middle of it. She brushed herself off quickly before turning towards the village.

There were no guards here, but she wasn't surprised. Tea country villages would send requests to Konoha if they needed help of the shinobi variety, but they never had the village guard them. They didn't think they needed it what with the country being so neutral. Sakura looked around the village for a short while before coming upon the only motel within it. She blinked at the small building and pushed through the door, coming face to face with a simple desk and a hearty looking man behind it.

"Hello," she said with a smile, reminding herself that she had to act like a civilian, "Is there a room free tonight?"

"Of course!" he grinned. "You think we actually have much traffic through here?" Sakura only smiled and shook her head, shrugging. She didn't know what to think "No matter. If you give me an extra two hundred ryo, you get a homecooked breakfast in the morning." Sakura considered this as she looked at the sheet of paper he shoved towards her. It was the overnight agreement. Clean up after yourself, don't destroy anything; it was pretty much the same as any other agreement out there. The price was a little high: one thousand ryo a night, but she knew it was because this village had little consumer base for an inn. She didn't have an issue with this; of course, she had most of her savings locked in a scroll in her bag. She pulled out the money and handed it to him.

"I should agree to your offer of a meal," she smiled, handing over the amount he wanted. She knew it would be a good idea and would give her more energy than the endless amount of protein bars she had. She didn't want to spend the time to eat it, but it would be a good idea.

"Alright, that meal will be ready at eight in the morning," he grinned. "Here's your key, have a nice stay, Miss…Kainz."

"Thank you," she smiled and walked down the hallway, looking on the key to get her room number. It was the third one at the end of the last hallway and she was rather glad for the privacy. She wasn't about to leave her room until the morning and so the protein bars would have to do for dinner tonight. She didn't want anyone to see her out in the village and wonder or ask where she came from, though she really did seem like another traveler.

She pushed herself into her room and felt a little comforted. It was warm in the room already and the mat already rolled out on the floor, ready for her to just slide into. She dropped her pack in the corner after grabbing the protein bar. She tossed it on the mat and stretched. It would be a public bathroom, but any shower was better than no shower. She hoped this motel at least had running water. She so did not want to use an outhouse.

Grabbing her clothes and hoping there were towels in the bathrooms, she ventured out of her room, locking it behind her. She wasn't about to leave it unlocked for anyone to come by and walk in uninvited. She sighed and wandered around for a few minutes before finding the bathrooms. One was for men and the other women, so she had a hope there was some running water. She opened the door and released a relieved sigh. Nothing smelled of bodily excrements and therefore there was running water.

She tossed her clothes on a bench and grabbed a towel from a shelf, tossing it up on a hook right outside the shower. She waited, patiently, for the water to turn hot and then sighed. She had forgotten that she still had her wig on, but she couldn't very well take it off in case the innkeeper was walking around. She carefully took it off and hung it underneath the towel on the same hook. That would keep it dry at least and no one would notice it.

Her shower was a quick, practiced one, though she felt so much better after she pulled herself out and wrapped her towel around herself. She grabbed another after a moment and began drying her hair, anxious to get the wig back on. Her hair was just a little damp when she shoved the damn thing back on.

She was back in her room not ten minutes later, taking the wig back off and carefully hanging it inside the closet. She didn't want to mess it up. Locking the door, she fell into her matt, pulling the covers over her. She barely remembered to eat her protein bar before falling into a deep sleep, allowing herself the comfort now that she wasn't out in the open.

She thought she'd overslept when the sun woke her. She stirred slowly, taking a few extra seconds to open her eyes. She glared into the sunshine and panic flooded her. She rose quickly. She didn't have time to waste and wanted to eat her meal and be on her way. She looked at the small watch on her wrist and a small smile broke past her lips and she fell back into her blankets. She hadn't overslept! She was actually awake an hour early! She laughed softly to herself before shaking her head and pulling herself up. She pulled out one of her scrolls and released the seal. She had more civilian clothes in these and wanted something she could move easily in but would not give her away as a trained assassin.

She sighed, finally finding for what she was looking for. She stood and changed quickly, sealing the old clothes and her anbu gear back inside the scroll. She ignored the protein bars and just pulled on her shoes, pulling the wig back on over her head. She searched through her pack for a moment before finding what she was looking for. They were old; probably a little dried out, but would still work. They would change her eyes from green to brown, at least. She hadn't thought to put them on before and hoped the innkeeper wouldn't say anything.

It took her a few minutes of massaging saline solution into them, but she managed to get them moist enough to wear. She put them in quickly, having gained some experience with it. She tucked the little case and saline back into her pack before shouldering it and pulling her cloak back over it like the day before. She managed to remember to rearrange the mat as if she had never been there and then left the room.

She stopped at the desk and hung the key on the peg with the coinciding number. She stood there awkwardly for a moment until a waif of a woman rounded the corner, looking slightly surprised when she saw Sakura.

"Are you a tenant?" she asked, her voice like her body: whispering and soft.

"Yes. I am Sachi Kainz. I had paid for a hot meal this morning and am simply waiting for it," she said politely, though remembered to smile. She didn't want to put the woman off.

"It's ready, Miss Kainz. You're welcome to follow me," the little woman smiled and Sakura followed her closely around the corner she'd just come. She followed her through a door and found herself in a small dining room, the amount of chairs equal to the amount of keys in the front area. Sakura sat at a table and the little woman put a plate in front of her. Though the eggs, hash, and toast didn't really look or smell appetizing, Sakura shoved it down with plenty of orange juice. She thanked the woman and then was on her way. She didn't have time to waste.

There weren't any Konoha ninja in or around the village, though she didn't move any faster than a walk. She didn't want to seem too suspicious. She waited until she was a good three miles from the village without anyone in sight before jumping into the trees and travelling at three times the pace. She was feeling quite a lot better after the full night's sleep and sad breakfast. Though the breakfast wasn't that good, she was glad she forced it down.

She wasn't feeling so paranoid anymore, either. She didn't think it was very necessary to go out of her way to walk through rivers and swim across lakes anymore. She didn't think Konoha ninja would be able to track her, not this far. She blinked and continued on her way, eating up the distance quickly. It would only take twenty-four hours to get to the Degarashi Port, where she could rest for another eight hours or so, and then she was off to the last village in Tea Country, the smaller port village on the southernmost tip of the country. She thought it was far enough to outrun her past.

It was quiet travelling until she reached the Degarashi port the next morning. She gave the innkeeper a different name from the last and paid for another hot meal come morning. It was definitely too long for her to stay in this place, or so she thought, but she wasn't about to get to the port village late at night. It would be better to get there in the morning, rent another room, and then work on establishing herself before her baby was to come. She didn't know what she would do, hopefully something with medicine, but she would have to dye her hair and wear these contacts all the time so she wasn't recognized. If someone said she looked like someone, she would be able to lie her way out of it.

She slept through most of the time she was in the Degarashi inn. She didn't want anyone to notice her. She did look at herself in the mirror and pass a hand over her barely noticeable bump. She sighed. She was supposed to marry Itachi in three days, but she wasn't around to go through with the ceremony anymore. She wasn't about to try and go back either. She had made her decision and now she had to deal with it.

Morning came and so did her hot meal, better than the one before it. She ate quickly and then was back on her way. She travelled in clothes that wouldn't stand out again. She waited until she was a little ways away from the port before jumping into the trees again. She travelled faster this way and no one would wonder how she moved so fast if she was hidden in here.

The port village was smaller than she thought it would be when she finally found it. She hadn't thought it was this small, but just shrugged it off. She didn't care. It was where she'd been running to and had finally made it here. She hoped no one would ever be able to find her here and she could raise her child away from the stares and harsh whispers, where his taboo conception wouldn't be put on his father. She almost found herself wondering if her child would go looking for its father on its own, but she shoved the idea out of her head the moment she thought of it. She didn't want to dwell on these things.

There wasn't an inn in this village, it was just that small. She looked around hopelessly, hoping there was something that would give her shelter, at least until she could find a place to buy or rent. She walked around the village several times before heading back to the meager market, hoping she could find someone that was particularly friendly looking.

"Excuse me," she said softly when faced with the baker behind his stall. He was a larger man, rosy cheeks, and a big smile. He turned to her.

"Do you need some bread, little lady?" he asked, gesturing to the fruits of his efforts.

"I'll take a loaf. I have a question as well," she said as she handed over the money and took the bread from him. He tossed in some butter as well, which she was glad for. She wasn't particularly keen on bread with nothing else on it.

"What's your question, dear?" he asked, ignoring other customers for a quick minute.

"I'm new here and I need a room to rent. Do you know anyone who would allow me such a thing?" she asked, standing uneasily. She didn't like asking these things, but she also didn't want to live in the woods for the rest of her life until she could build a suitable dwelling. "If It helps any," she leaned close, whispering so no one else could hear, "I'm a highly trained medic and I am pregnant." She hoped the last bit of information would make him feel bad for her.

"Go talk to Marie," he grinned at her. "She has a herbalist shop on the other side of town. She's old and pretty crotchety, but tell her you're pregnant and have medicinal background and she'll soften right up to ya," he winked at her. Sakura smiled and thanked him, beginning to turn around. "Here," he beckoned her back for a moment. "This will soften Marie up too. She likes our pastries," he winked at her again. She smiled again and thanked him for helping her before bounding off in the direction he'd pointed her to.

Finding Marie's wasn't very hard. Her name was on the sign along with the description of her shop. Sakura tried the door and found it unlocked.

"Hello?" she heard the harsh, strained voice from behind the counter. The old woman certainly did sound crotchety.

"Are you Marie?" Sakura called, peering around the counter.

"I am," a small, beady eyed woman appeared from below the counter. She was quite hunched and her knuckles twisted. Sakura wondered how very old she was. "What does it matter to you? I doubt you've come here for a remedy, I haven't seen you around here."

"The baker told me to come here and ask to rent a room," Sakura said, her voice holding far more courage than she felt.

"What makes you think I'll give you a room? What's your sob story, missy?" the old woman caught her with her beady stare and Sakura knew she better not lie. She thought the woman would sense it and tell her to go somewhere else, a somewhere else that Sakura didn't have.

"I'm a highly trained medic," Sakura offered. "I ran away from my homeland to avoid a marriage I was forced into because the man knocked me up."

"Why run away from your baby's father?" the woman asked, hopping up with surprising agility to sit on the counter. She seemed very interested and Sakura thought it was a good thing.

"I don't think we really love each other. Instead of calling off the wedding, I ran away so the villagers wouldn't look at him with judgment and whisper terrible things about us. I didn't want his child to bring him issues later because he is a bastard." Sakura knew she had to give this old woman the truth because she could just turn her away and leave her to live off the woods behind the small village or go and find another village that might take her.

"The baker was right when he told you to come to me," the old woman cracked a smile. "I know you'll give me a fake name, but what would you like to be called?"

"Sachi. Sachi Kainz," Sakura immediately said. She had papers for this alter ego, paperwork that Konoha didn't know about. Several shinobi had separate identities they would assume on missions. The hokage didn't know all of them and this was one Sakura hadn't gotten around to registering at the tower. "How did you know it would be fake?" she asked, wondering now.

"Because mine is." The old woman hopped off the counter. "He sent you to me because we are very alike, young Sachi. Did he give you anything for me, by the way?" she asked, looking at her with her beady eyes expecting.

"He gave me a pastry for you," Sakura said, holding it out. The old woman's eyes lit up and she snatched it from her, biting into it quickly. She seemed to really like the pastries, just like the baker had said. Sakura couldn't help the small smile as she watched the old woman devour the treat. She made a mental note to get her more.

"Alright, follow me upstairs. It isn't much, but it's better than sleeping in the streets," Marie said, gesturing to the stairs. Sakura followed her closely into the part of the house the old woman lived. Sakura looked around curiously when they got up there. It was small, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to care. The kitchen was the size of a shoebox, a small dining table shoved beneath a window with only two chairs. There was a small sofa and a large bookcase with so many books it overflowed. There was a small television, but guessing by the dust, the old woman didn't use it much. "There's two bedrooms, but one has all sorts of shit in it," the old woman said, leading her to the back of the place.

"What is all of it?" Sakura asked, peering in. There was just enough space for a small bed pressed up against the wall. The rest of the space was taken up by mountains of boxes. Sakura wondered why she had so many boxes holed up in here.

"Things from an old life," Marie sighed. "I find that I cannot throw it out. I'll have a couple of the older neighborhood boys throw it in the basement while you take a nap in my room. You seem rather tired and I surely don't want you to lose your child because you've exhausted yourself."

"Will you pay the boys?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, but it won't be much. I don't have a lot you know," the old woman scoffed.

Sakura only shrugged and pulled the pack off her back, rustling around for a few hundred ryo. She handed it to the old woman.

"I have a lot of money with me," Sakura said, not looking at the old woman. "I used to be a medic ninja. We made a lot."

"Good for me, then, huh?" the old woman grinned. "Don't worry," she patted Sakura on the shoulder. "I won't be stealing from you." Sakura only nodded. "Alright, let's get you into bed." Sakura didn't know what the Baker meant. The old woman didn't seem too crotchety. The old woman let her into the other bedroom, where there wasn't much either. There was a small bed in a corner and a dresser in the other, otherwise nothing else.

"How long did you want me to sleep?" Sakura asked, completely prepared to wake up the moment she wanted her to.

"Sleep as long as you need." With that, the old woman shut the door before Sakura could answer. Sakura only blinked at the door and shook her head. It was time for a much needed rest. It wasn't deserved, not in the least, but it was needed. She fell into the old woman's bed, sighing happily when she realized it was soft and plush. Though her mind was harrowed and thoughts were beginning to knock around in her head, she was far too exhausted to let it get to her. She was too tired to worry about it right now. Hopefully the old woman would help her with the harrowing thoughts so it wouldn't bother her so much.

Sakura sighed and shut her eyes tightly. It was time to sleep. She managed to shut her mind off and get the sleep she really did need.

* * *

 **WHO PLAYS LEAGUE OF LEGENDS?!**

 **Shut up, I know it means I don't love myself.**

 **However, I always want people to play with so if someone actually fucking plays it I'll put my screen name up lol**


	11. Chapter 11

**This jumps around a bit. It goes from Itachi going crazy because SHIT SHE GONE BRUH to slightly time-lapsyness with Sakura.**

 **It's just kind of drabbly.**

 **Spoiler alert: at the end, she's back in the land of fire.**

 **I was TOO DAMN LAZY to separate all these pieces into different chapters. I like it in the snapshotty way anyways.**

* * *

Itachi sighed while he ran towards home. He couldn't wait to get back to Sakura and his movements showed as such. At his right side, Neji kept up with him easily, giving him a quick glance. He didn't know why the man was so intent on getting home as quickly as he could.

"I'll write the report tonight," Neji offered loudly, over the whistling of the wind in their ears. Itachi faltered in his next step and Neji got slightly ahead of him before adjusting his speed to match up with Itachi again. The black-haired man just nodded, though there was the slightest look of gratitude in his eyes.

They got to the gate within the hour and Itachi simply signed in quickly. He gave Neji a slight wave in a goodbye before darting off. He just wanted to see Sakura. He wanted to hold her and kiss her, couldn't wait to do it again. He didn't like being away from her and it was killing him that he had been away for so long.

It felt like forever until he was standing outside his door. He quietly opened the door, hoping she was awake, but knowing she was probably asleep. He was met by a dark house and it instantly caused fright and an icy fear to take over his heart. He knew she wasn't here; he didn't even have to check. The house hadn't felt a presence in days. The kitten meowed at him in hunger, though he hoped it had enough water.

His brain was numb as he finally entered the house and went to the kitchen, pouring some food into the kitten's bowl. He looked around the dark house, noticing that it was immaculate. Sakura had left it as clean as she could and he wondered why. What kind of sociopath left her betrothed? What kind of person cleaned their house before leaving? He didn't know.

Thoughts still couldn't get into his brain, the buzzing keeping them from doing so. He walked slowly around the house until he was finally in their bedroom. He opened the closet and found what he knew to be true. All her clothes were gone and her mission wear was gone as well. She had even taken her anbu mask. Mind whirling, Itachi backed away from the closet until the back of his knees hit the bed and he fell back on it. He barely noticed that the bed was the only thing that wasn't impeccable in the house. The blankets were twisted on the bed and the pillows were strewn about.

He didn't notice because he had noticed something else. The picture he kept by his bedside was gone. It was the picture he kept of his family, perhaps the only one in the house. The missing picture angered him for it told him that Sakura had taken it, that she had admitted, without words, that she was going to miss him. His mind couldn't wrap around the idea that she was really gone.

When the shock died down, he was up and angry. He darted out of the empty house and went straight to the main house, his anger palpable. Though a rational part of him was telling him to calm down, don't put the blame on someone else, he couldn't help but to do just that. Part of him knew he was going to feel bad about this later. Part of him knew this was wrong. None of that mattered because that part of him was being drowned out by his anger and disbelief that Sakura had really just run away from him.

He didn't knock at the door. He just thrust open the damn thing and slammed it behind him. A surprised Mikoto peered from the kitchen, wondering just who dared to walk into her house in such a way. She was confused when she saw it was Itachi, having expected Sasuke. Itachi glared at the floor, breathing sharply, his hands tight at his side.

"Where is she?" Itachi asked darkly, lowly.

"Where is who, dear?" Mikoto asked, walking to him. She laid her hand on his arm, trying to beckon him to look at her. When he did, she was taken aback. There was so much hurt and anger in his eyes; she didn't quite know how to react. Itachi wasn't one to show much emotion and therefore this was frightening.

"Sakura. She is not at home. Her clothes are gone. She is not here anymore," Itachi's anger left him. He couldn't blame his mother. She obviously didn't know. He fell into the couch and leaned his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. He was just too tired for this. He had been planning to curl up in bed with Sakura and just sleep. His tired mind just couldn't make light of this situation, not in the least.

"I just saw her the other day!" Mikoto blubbered, not knowing what to say either. Her own mind whirled now and she was sure she knew how her son felt now. How had she not noticed that Sakura had left the village? Sakura had been acting odd as of late. She wasn't eating as much and wasn't too sociable, but Mikoto had thought it was a byproduct of Itachi being away and being pregnant. She didn't know why the girl would have just up and left. She didn't understand.

"We have to tell Tsunade. Now," Itachi said, already on his feet. His shock had finally died down and he was ready to take action. He could actually do something now instead of simply sit there as though an invalid. Mikoto, however, was now in shock, and didn't know what to say or how to act. Itachi only shook his head and led his mother to the couch, sitting her down quickly before simply walking out the door. Mikoto would be fine.

Itachi set off towards the Hokage tower. He didn't let anyone stop him. He moved through the shadows and used mostly rooftops. He didn't bother with going through the front door of the tower, not wanting to let the blonde know he was coming and let her deny him. He went through the window behind her desk.

"Wake up," he stated darkly, a hand on her shoulder. Tsunade was up in a moment, her unfocused eyes taking a moment to take him in. "Are you drunk?" his voice betrayed his disgust and he quite hated it. He didn't like that he had let the emotion into his voice. This situation was messing him up and screwing his abilities over. He couldn't quite believe that he was fucking up this much in this situation.

"I'm usually drunk, Uchiha. What do you want?" Tsunade grumbled, tossing the empty sake bottle into the trash. She rubbed her head and reached for the pitcher of water on a table near her. "Are you going to tell me or are you going to continue standing there, staring at me?" she asked cynically, pressing the water to her lips.

"How have you not noticed that your student has left the village and become a rogue nin?" Itachi asked, his sharp eyes watching his hokage. She sputtered, choking on what water she had managed to drink, and her face turned red. She put the water back down and hit herself on the check for a quick moment, trying to get her breathing to go again.

"What do you mean she's left?" Tsunade asked, eyes wide. Obviously, this was blindsiding everyone. Sakura had just upped and left one night, of that Itachi was sure. Itachi didn't say another word, waiting for Tsunade to work through it herself without help from him. Tsunade blinked a couple times before she sighed heavily and sat in her chair.

"Get Kakashi and Kiba. See if you can track her. I don't know how far you'll get or how well she covered her tracks, but I hope, for your sake, that she's forgotten some of her training." Tsunade knew full well Sakura had been trained in the art of tracking and hiding from said trackers. Sakura had been very good at it when she had been training and so Tsunade didn't know if the three men would get very far.

"I'll let you know if we find anything," Itachi said, already crouching in the window he had come in. He watched Tsunade for a moment, thinking the woman looked far older than she really was. He only sighed and took off.

Kakashi was easy to find. He was half asleep in his apartment after his own mission he had just gotten off of. Though Itachi was slightly jealous that he was able to sleep and he had still not even gotten a nap; he shoved the thought out of his head.

"Sakura has fled the village. Will you help me track her?" Itachi asked, wasting no time on pleasantries. Kakashi didn't have words. He was going to ask and understand later, when there was time to talk about it. The trail was getting older and older the more time that was wasted. Kakashi just shut the door and Itachi was off, going towards the Inuzuka compound.

"The fuck do you want, Uchiha?" Kiba asked when he knocked on the door. Itachi raised an eyebrow at him, not really interested in being sworn at. He wasn't feeling a lot of things right now.

"Sakura is missing. Kakashi has agreed to help me track her. Will you help me as well?" he asked without preamble. The easy grin slid off Kiba's face and he turned around, shutting the door. Itachi hoped that mean the dog nin would help him and so took off towards the gate to wait for the two men.

Curiously, though he was known for being obnoxiously late, Kakashi was there first. Itachi raised a questioning eyebrow at him as he called the nindogs up to help them. Kakashi caught the questioning look and just shrugged.

"You seem to forget that I was Sakura's first teacher and I care very much about her," Kakashi said to his look. He sighed. "I know it seems like I don't care much, Uchiha, but I do. I don't know what's been going on with Sakura and it hurts me a lot that she didn't even come to me and talk to me about it. That's what Sakura does, though. She doesn't try to talk about it. She takes matters into her own hands and just runs. Her fallback has always been running."

"I wish I had known these things about her in an attempt to keep her happy and avoid this from happening."

"Don't dwell in the past, Itachi. There are a lot of things we wish we'd known. There are a lot of things we wish we would have done different. There's no reason we should dwell on the regrets we have. Just start looking. When we find her, you can beat her senseless and rage and ask why she's done such a thing," Kakashi sighed. "I wouldn't suggest doing that, but getting through to her will probably take that much."

Itachi only nodded. Seeing Kiba and Akamaru in the distance, he walked over to the gate and leaned on the desk.

"Do you have the night watch logs?" he asked, raising a brow at the two behind the desk. One of them handed him a notebook, not questioning why he needed it. Most people didn't question Itachi. They gave him what he wanted and then went on their way. Itachi flipped through the log quickly. He didn't see anything from the last few nights and he thought it confusing. Sakura was easy to recognize. Surely they would have written something about her leaving? "Are there any of the night watchmen here right now?" he asked, hoping there was so he could ask his questions and be on his way.

"Sorry, no. They're off right now," one of them answered. Itachi sighed. It seemed as though the questions would have to wait until his return. He tossed the notebook back to them.

"I'll be back later to ask them questions," he said. He turned to his two colleagues and each gave a short nod before running through the gates. They had to start tracking. They had to try and find her. Itachi was sure he was going to go insane if he didn't find her. He didn't like that she ran away and the only thing he could think of now was trying to find her and bring her home, to him. That's all he wanted at this point. Why would she think it was such a good idea to run away? He would never know.

* * *

They never found her. Itachi had looked for weeks, staying out far longer than Kakashi or Kiba did. With Tsunade's blessing, he went to all four of the other major hidden villages and asked around, looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

She had been too good at covering her tracks. The nindogs lost her scent not even a hundred and seventy kilometers from Konoha and they couldn't find her scent again anywhere. It had frustrated Itachi and he had sent his colleagues home and continued looking himself, going to every border crossing and every village just looking for her. She was nowhere to be found.

It had taken him two and a half months, but he had finally given up and returned home. He couldn't look for her anymore. He knew she was out there somewhere, but he knew he wouldn't find her at this point. It seemed Sakura was very adept at being the person that would stay gone when they left. It was bothering him slightly, knowing that she didn't want to be found, but he had to accept it at this point.

He finally trudged back into the village and slowly went to the hokage tower, jumping through the window to see Tsunade at her desk. She stared listlessly at her paperwork. She was missing her student almost as much as Itachi was missing her and she wished, just slightly, that she could go out herself and look for her.

"Tsunade," Itachi said quietly, resisting the urge to rub his face in his exhaustion. He hadn't slept much on his journey. He just wanted to find Sakura and that urge drove him forwards with little to no rest.

"I take that you have not found her," Tsunade said quietly, staring at the wall now. She couldn't bring herself to look at Itachi. "I thought as much. Sakura isn't one to leave tracks. When she runs, she doesn't want to be found." Tsunade certainly felt bad, but she knew it couldn't compare to the way Itachi was feeing. Itachi was probably going insane just short of pulling his hair out.

"Her scent was lost. She was not in any of the other major hidden villages. None of the shinobi at the borders saw her in passing. There are no leads and therefore I returned," Itachi said quickly, quietly. "I do not think she'll be coming home." Itachi sounded like a beaten man, like he had little else to live for at this point. Tsunade could almost hear her heart breaking for him. Though she couldn't quite understand the heartbreak of someone running away on her, she could liken it to someone close dying. She wasn't here anymore. She wasn't here to talk to or laugh and joke with. The pain didn't lessen with the knowledge she was still alive out there somewhere.

"Alright," Tsunade's voice was a mere whisper, a shadow of her usual loud and commanding tone. Itachi didn't know what to do in this situation. He knew he wanted to comfort the woman, just like she probably wanted to comfort him. However, he didn't accept comfort and he didn't know how to give it to anyone save for Sakura. He sighed.

"If you need me, I will be at home." With that he was gone. He wanted to say that he was sorry. He wanted to say he wished he could have found her and brought her back. He didn't know what to say anymore. He knew he had to come clean about it to Sasuke, Naruto, and Shisui; they were probably wondering why she hadn't been around lately. They probably thought she was being holed up in the house with Itachi.

He didn't want to deal with that, not right now. He didn't want to go to his empty house either, not with the memory of her in the house. He changed his direction last minute and traipsed to his parent's house. His mother would help him feel a little better at least. She wouldn't say anything terrible to him about choosing the wrong woman. She wouldn't judge him, only sit with him or let him sleep in one of the spare bedrooms.

"Mother?" he called quietly as he walked into the house. Mikoto poked her head from around the corner and she smiled warmly when she saw Itachi. She must have known he didn't find Sakura, because she just pulled him into a tight hug, a hand on the back of his head and the other on the middle of his back. "Do you mind if I sleep here for a few nights?" he asked quietly, taking his mother's hug.

"Of course, don't worry about it," Mikoto said with a small, sad smile. She released him and went to the kitchen, putting together a plate of leftovers for him. She knew he probably hadn't eaten in who knows how long at this point. Itachi knew what she was doing and so followed her into the kitchen, taking the plate from her gratefully.

Though it was just some old baked penne, he ate it with gusto. He was quite hungry and hadn't noticed just how much. He finished in record time and his mother was pulling the empty plate from his hands. He didn't betray any emotions, but he was sincerely grateful and glad that she was here to make it just a little easier. It was always nice to know she was here and ready to help his thoughts calm when he needed it.

"Why don't you go upstairs and sleep?" Mikoto asked, washing his dish. He only nodded and gave his mother's shoulder a soft squeeze before trudging up the stairs to his old room. He fell on the bed that still had the bedclothes from his childhood. He curled into the familiar scent of his mother's laundry soap, a comfort falling over him. He felt like a small child, curling up beneath the blankets when he was upset and didn't have the words to tell anyone. It was even more comforting than his mother's touch and her cooking. It was a pleasant feeling and he didn't have as much of an issue finally closing his eyes and getting the sleep he more than deserved.

* * *

Sakura had been away for four months now. She tried not to think about how Itachi might be doing and she tried not to think about how much her friends must miss her. Her stomach was growing at an alarming rate and Maria had already bet her that she was having twins. Sakura simply hoped with all her heart that she wasn't having twins.

"Sachi!" Marie called her from down the stairs. It had taken her a few days to get used to, but now she instantly responded to the name she'd made up. Sakura shook her head free of the thoughts and walked down the stairs. "Would you mind giving Jin's son a check over?" Marie asked. Sakura nodded. Marie talked a little different than she did, but it wasn't that difficult to get used to at least.

"Hey there, little boy," Sakura smiled as she peered down at the child. She would have knelt, but her rather large stomach was causing issues with that recently. Two more months or so and she wouldn't have this stomach in her way at least. "Would you mind hopping up on the counter for me? I can't bend down." The little boy nodded, looking to his father and holding his arms out in question. His father lifted him easily onto the counter.

Sakura checked him over, sporadically pushing little bits of chakra into his system to really check him over. They were civilians and therefore didn't know when chakra was close or even when it was pushed into their system.

"He's just got a head cold," she smiled.

"Thank you, Sachi," Marie jerked her chin back to the stairs, signaling that she could leave. Sakura nodded and went quickly to the stairs. She went back to cooking dinner. Marie called her down, often to tell her what's wrong with a patient, but hadn't tried to have her make a medicine. Sakura hadn't told her that she could make different medicines, though, so she wasn't too upset over it. She was more than happy to cook for the old woman. She had even brought back a few pastries from the baker today.

It wasn't long before the old woman was coming up the stairs. She sat heavily at the table and Sakura placed a plate in front of her. She dug in quickly while Sakura was grabbing her own plate and sitting across from her. Marie never had any complaints about the food she was given and Sakura was quite happy about it.

"You're going to pop pretty soon you know," Marie said in lieu of conversation. Marie was far more excited for the arrival of her baby than she was. "We should go to Degarashi port with the horse and trailer and get some baby things. We don't have anyone around here that makes those sort of things. I doubt you'll be able to find anything more than diapers and wipes around here."

"Thank you, Marie," was all she could say. She didn't expect Marie to do these things, but she knew she wouldn't be able to say no to her. She knew the old woman would tug her along to the big town anyways and it was useless to really fight her on anything. Sakura pulled all the dishes from the table and went to wash them.

"We'll go in the morning. Make sure we have lunches packed." Sakura only nodded. Marie treated her much more like a daughter than a tenant and Sakura didn't really mind it. It reminded her of her own mother and it brought comfort to her in this time of loneliness and disgust with herself. She didn't want to give up the comfort the old woman gave her.

"I had a question," Sakura said suddenly as she washed the dishes, peering over her shoulder to look at Marie. "Would you like to hire someone to build a house for us?" Sakura had more than enough money to build a house and since she had started helping Marie diagnose problems with her patients, Marie was making more with her herbalist business. She didn't even ask for rent anymore with her help.

"Why would we build a house?" Marie scoffed.

"Because we're going to have a child in this tiny apartment!" Sakura sighed, looking about bewildered. "You know, it's going to be a tight squeeze when the kid starts walking. Anyways, you could always rent this place out if you didn't want to sell it."

"You know, that's a good idea." Marie had thought to herself over the months that Sachi had been with her. She had realized that she was holding on to too many things that had happened in the past. Part of it had been in Sachi's room when she'd arrived, but the other part of it was the house itself. She didn't want to leave it. Sachi was right, though. They both couldn't live here with a child running around. Two children, to be exact. Marie was quite certain Sachi was pregnant with twins. "I don't know why you wouldn't just build the house for yourself instead of taking me along with you."

"If you're right and I do have twins, I'll need some help you know," Sakura smiled at the old woman. "I know jack shit about kids, you know? I need help and I don't have anyone but you to turn to here. Why wouldn't I want you in the house with me?" Marie could only smile at the brunette. She still didn't know that the girl wore a wig. She hadn't seen anything to think she was wearing a wig.

"Alright, alright. We'll go to Degarashi tomorrow," Marie repeated, "There's only one builder in town, so you'll have to go talk to him in the morning. I believe you know it'll take us a day and a half to get to Degarashi anyways." Sakura had forgotten, just slightly, that Marie was a slower traveler than she was. Sakura had forgotten, just slightly, that she was now a slower traveler than before. She couldn't quite run like she used to with this big belly in the way.

"Okay. Why don't you go and relax? I'll pack our food for the trip." Marie only nodded her head tiredly and traipsed to the small sofa, pulling a book down at random and settling in to read it. Sakura bustled around the kitchen, packing things into a few baskets. She could seal their food into a scroll and their clothes into another instead of burdening the trailer with it. It would have enough furniture in it on the way back anyways.

Sakura went to her room and pulled out a couple scrolls that had held her few belongings on the way here. She brought one back to the kitchen and sealed the food she'd prepared into it. She checked on Marie and found that she was asleep on the sofa. Sakura only shook her head with a light smile before going to the old woman's room to grab some clothes for the journey. Sakura sealed their clothes into another scroll. Sakura would just toss the tent into the trailer, not wanting to have to search through the scroll just to find it.

She set everything by the door and smiled at the old woman before crossing the room, lifting her up easily and carrying her to bed. This was normal for them. Sakura would usually carry the old woman to bed. It didn't bother her stomach much, it wasn't much of a bend to the couch and the old woman didn't weigh much. After she was all tucked in, Sakura traipsed back to her room and fell on her little bed.

She stared at the ceiling for a few long minutes. She didn't like this time of the day, where she had to go to sleep, but her mind wasn't about to allow her. Her brain wanted to make all those thoughts come back, the thoughts that she pushed away during the day. She shoved them away now and forced herself to think of the journey tomorrow with Marie. She didn't know if Marie would be grumpy and she didn't know how well this journey would go, but she was slightly excited. She hadn't really even been outside the village since she'd gotten here.

The next day found Sakura inside an office. A man was seated across from her. He had rather large muscles and a perpetual sneer on his face. Given his appearance, however, Sakura had found him to be quite pleasant company.

"So you want a house?" he started, watching her.

"Yes, preferably the lower floor would be used as the new herbalist shop," Sakura told him, sketching it out on a piece of paper near her. "Then two stories above that," she sketched. She pulled another piece of paper towards her and began to list everything she wanted to be included on the floors. She pushed the paper back to him when she was satisfied all that she wanted was listed. His eyes quickly flitted across the page, his mouth set in a thin, hard line.

"Did you think of how much this is going to cost Miss Kainz?" he asked, raising a brow at her.

"Between two hundred thousand and three hundred thousand ryo," she answered immediately. She had been thinking about this for about a week and a half now and had had everything figured out in her head a long while back. "I'll throw in an extra hundred thousand if it's completed before the fall." They were about to enter spring now and she didn't want to be holed up in that tiny apartment with a squalling child and a crotchety old lady longer than she had to be.

"I think we might have a deal, Miss Kainz."

"I'll be checking it," she warned quietly, her sharp eyes watching him. "I don't want quality to be sacrificed just because of the time constraints I put you under. If there is something that will take longer, please let me know." She would figure it out then and it wouldn't be so bad.

"Of course. Shall I draw up a sketch for you?"

"Sure. I'll be back from Degarashi Port within the week and I'll come see you then. If I like the sketch, we can draw up an agreement then," Sakura said in her clipped Doctor's tone. She knew this was the best way to talk to those who were offering a business. She didn't beat around the bush with a anyone, only got straight to the point and let it lie.

"I believe that will be enough time," the man smiled at her and it caught her off guard. It reminded her of Naruto's smile. She shook her head for a moment before sticking out her hand with the smallest smile imaginable. The man leaned forward to shake it.

"I'm looking forwards to working with you," Sakura said with a smile. "I apologize, but I really must be going. My mother will probably be wondering where I've gotten off to."

"Oh, you haven't told me who your mother is."

"It's the old widow Marie, didn't you guess from my wanting an herbalist shop in the house?" Sakura said, shaking her head at the man. The man only grinned and shook his head, watching the very pregnant woman bustle out the door. He was looking forwards to the money this building would give him. She probably wouldn't want to skimp on materials either, not with how handsomely she was paying him. It was a nice change from the small cottages and little barns he was usually commissioned for.

Sakura made her way through the town and back to her home. She knew the old woman was probably just getting up and getting into the shower. It was Saturday, a usual day off for Marie and she would wake late and take her time with her morning routine. That meant Sakura still had time to get Marie's horse from the stable on the edge of town. She could hitch it up to the trailer and have both back by the time Marie was finishing her breakfast.

Sakura made her way through town again and up the small hill to one of two stables in town. Marie rented a stall from the landowner and she paid one of the neighbor boys to come here every day and feed, water, brush, and ride the horse. Marie had recently started paying the boy more too and Sakura could see the difference it made. The horse whinnied happily as she undid the latch. She led it outside and to a trailer that had Marie's name carved in the side.

Sakura didn't know much about hitching a trailer to a horse's back, but she got the handle of it pretty quickly. There was even a place for her and Marie to sit. She knew Marie would force her up here eventually anyways and therefore didn't shy away from the idea. She finished hitching the trailer with little time to spare before grabbing the horse's reigns and leading him back into town.

Marie was just coming out of the little building when she saw Sakura.

"I thought I told you to have our things packed," she grumbled when she got to the cart. Sakura rolled her eyes and hopped down next to her.

"In case you forgot," Sakura leaned close to her ear, "I am a shinobi. Just because you do not see it does not mean it is forgotten." Marie watched her with her beady eyes when she pulled away. Sakura just shook her head and smiled and gestured to the trailer. "I'll be right down, mother." They had taken to calling each other mother and daughter in public. Sakura's story was that her husband had died and being without family and pregnant, she went to find her last living relative. It was a good cover story, though it wouldn't hold up if someone very focused were to investigate. No one of such suspicion dwelled in this town and the baker had been sword to secrecy.

"Why did you do that?" Marie asked, eyeing the scrolls and the tent Sakura carried from her home. She placed them neatly in the trailer and then climbed up beside the old woman.

"I thought it would be less bulky and easier to carry around if our things were sealed into scrolls," Sakura shrugged, handing the reins to the old woman. She just shook her head and urged the horse forward. It was faster than walking, but not as fast as running and Sakura soon found herself bored, though she could not bring herself to open a book or something of the like. The ride was far too bumpy and she wouldn't be able to focus on it.

It was a boring day and a half ride to Degarashi Port. Sakura couldn't believe they would have to do this again, starting the next morning. Marie was tugging her from store to store, making her buy two of everything although she protested wholeheartedly, still not believing that the old woman could tell that she was having twins. There was no saying no to the woman, however, and so Sakura shelled out twice the money to get two of everything. She got two of the same crib, but only one changing table. She bought two swings and several bottles, a pump, and so many baby clothes she didn't know how she was going to use them all.

She was trailing after Marie, looking for a place to eat when she saw him. He wasn't paying attention to her and she knew he was on a mission. He was tracking someone and was probably supposed to bring that person in for interrogation. She had a fleeting, terrified feeling in her chest and she absentmindedly touched her hair, breathing a sigh of relief when she felt the heavy wig under her fingertips. She had been wearing it every day for so long that it felt like a part of her now. Marie looked at her.

"What is it?" she barked.

"Itachi," she breathed, eyes locked on the tall man. She didn't want to go up to him. He wasn't there for her. He would have found her already if he was there for her. Sakura shook her head and smiled at Marie. "Nothing, I just got a little lightheaded."

"Alright, come on, let's go to that restaurant," Marie said, nodding to a restaurant a few doors down from where Itachi was hugging the shadows, watching. Sakura didn't want to give herself away and so nodded, keeping in step with Marie. Itachi didn't notice her, just as she thought he wouldn't, and she breathed a sigh of relief when they ducked into the restaurant. She felt sad. She wanted to talk to him, but didn't want to at the same time. She shoved the thought out of her head. She probably just wanted to talk to him because she wanted to know what was happening at home. She didn't miss him. She didn't want him. She just wanted to know about her home.

She managed to convince herself of this and calmed her mind enough to eat.

* * *

Marie had been right. Marie had totally been right and it annoyed the hell out of Sakura, even though she was so tired. She had two baby girls snuggled up to her chest and she hadn't yet showered the stink of birth from her body. Marie was beside her, washing the babies for her while she rested. It hadn't been too difficult, but Sakura hadn't exactly been expecting to have to push two little bodies out of her.

"Are you going to tell me their names, or shall I leave these blank?" Marie asked, gesturing to the birth certificates she had gotten on their trip to Degarashi. Sakura groaned, closing her eyes tightly for a moment. She had hardly even thought about baby names and now she had to come up with two. Two female names.

"Yuuki and Sachi," she sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the ceiling. She hoped the old woman wouldn't say anything about the name Sachi. She knew it seemed incredibly vain to name her daughter after herself, but she didn't care. It was a pretty name and it wasn't really her own. "I know what you're thinking," she said finally. "My actual name is Sakura."

"I figured you would say so eventually. I used to be called Myumi," Marie sighed, writing the names down on the paper. "What are their last names? I doubt you want it to be Kainz."

"Uchiha. It's their father's surname," she sighed. She pressed the babies close to her chest and she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She finally got a good look at her baby girls. Soft tufts of wispy black hair covered their heads. She thought they looked a little more like Itachi, but that only meant they would be quite attractive when they were older. All Uchihas were attractive, though.

One of them, Sakura hadn't quite decided who yet, began fussing. She looked up at Marie, not quite knowing what to do.

"She's hungry, kid, don't you know anything?" Marie asked, shaking her head and pulling herself up. "Here, give me the one that isn't fussing." Sakura carefully handed her the little girl that was not making soft noises. "Alright, now rest her head on the crook of your arm and latch her onto your breast. Just put it near her mouth. She'll figure it out from there." Sakura did as she said and was relieved when the baby girl began suckling.

Sakura laid her head back in happiness and exhaustion.

"I have some formula. I'll take them and let you rest, alright?" Marie said, reaching for the other twin. Sakura nodded, relinquishing the baby easily. She curled on her side when she heard the door close. She was so very tired after all that work. She thought the little babies were so very beautiful and she couldn't wait to see them when she wasn't completely exhausted. She knew Marie would take care of them until she woke, at least.

They moved into the new house when the twins were two and a half months old. Sakura began teaching and training them by the age of three. She had bought a rather large piece of land on the edge of the village, which gave her more than enough room to teach them how to fight and how to heal. She taught them their studies, not trusting the school in the village.

At one point, Marie couldn't make the poultices that were required of her in the herbalist shop. Her hands were so twisted with arthritis and there was such bad carpal tunnel in her wrists that she could no longer grind the herbs. Sakura took over the herbalist shop by that point, the twins spending their days being taught by the strict old woman and their afternoons being taught basic ninja techniques by their mother.

Sakura managed to live this quiet life for six and a half years. Six and a half years she was away from home. Six and a half years, she hadn't seen Itachi more than the one time in Degarashi. She had sent a small collection of pictures when her daughters were five years old. She sent them along with a fisherman that was going to the land of fire to sell said fish. She made the man promise not to tell Itachi where they came from. Itachi had never come looking for her, therefore he kept his words.

There was a day when she was sitting in the office of the shop, almost spring shining into the room. She heard the door open and sighed, pushing herself up from the desk and walking into the storefront. "What seems to be the problem?" she asked cheerily. She stopped after her question. She knew this person standing in the center of her shop. She knew he didn't recognize her, either. Konohomaru stood in her shop, smiling and looking rather comfortable.

"Hi, I just came here to ask something. Have you ever heard of a woman named Sakura Haruno? See, she might not be using that name. She would have shown up here about six years ago or so and has pink hair and green eyes. I've been going to all the hospitals and medic centers in villages looking for her. She has a message from her teacher." Sakura wanted to laugh. The kid obviously didn't know much about these types of missions. He wasn't supposed to give all the information to the person he was asking. He just had to give the description of the person and their names.

"It depends. What does the message say?" Sakura asked, eyes narrowed, wondering if the kid would tell her or not.

"I don't know. Here. I have a bunch of them," Konohomaru held out a small scroll. Sakura looked at him curiously before reaching out to take it. "You see, Tsunade doesn't know where her student is, so she gave me a lot of these to spread around in case she'll come upon it," he said while she read through the letter quickly. Tsunade was sick? She didn't know what was wrong with her? Perhaps she did, but she didn't have the skills to fix it, not when it was her own body. Sakura stared at the scroll for a long minute. "Hey, hey miss? I've got to get going now, you know? Tsunade really needs her student."

"Konohomaru, I am disgusted with you," Sakura snapped, teacher mode initiating. "I thought you were supposed to be a ninja!" The kid looked very confused. Sakura scoffed and pulled off her wig, only a year and a month old. Her pink hair fell out in a wave down her back, resting against her hips. She sighed and pulled the contacts from her eyes. She had only replaced these two weeks ago. Such a waste of money.

"Sakura? It's really you? I didn't think we would find you! We've been going around to villages for the better part of two months now!" Konohomaru seemed rather excited and happy to find out that the woman in the herbalist shop was the woman he was looking for. "What are you waiting for? We have to go!"

"Not yet, kid," Sakura sighed. "Come on," she jerked her chin to the stairs, a habit she had picked up from Marie. Konohomaru followed her up the stairs. Marie was at the table with her daughters, watching them do their schoolwork. "Sachi, Yuuki." The little girls looked up and their faces lit up when they saw their mother without her wig. They really loved when her pink hair was out and they loved to braid it for her. Both of them wished avidly that they had a little bit of her hair. "These are my daughters, Konohomaru. If I'm going home, so are they."

"If you're going home, I'm going with you," Marie said sharply. "I am their grandmother, you can't possibly expect me to stay behind and hope you'll come back one day." Sakura smiled at the old woman. She couldn't very well leave her behind.

"Alright. Girls," she looked at her daughters. "You remembered how I showed you to seal things in scrolls? There are three very old scrolls in your room at the top of your closet, the ones that we practiced with. Help Nana seal all our clothes and personal belongings into the scrolls. No furniture or silly things we can get elsewhere alright? I have to go ahead with Konohomaru. Nana knows the way, but don't pester her. If you get bored, she knows what you're allowed to do. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mommy!" the two sang in a chorus. Sakura smiled warmly and kissed them each on the cheek. She turned to Konohomaru.

"Let me find my old anbu gear." He nodded. Sakura knew exactly where it was. She pulled it out and stared at it for a long moment before putting it on. She didn't think she would ever be wearing this thing again, but with a mask hiding her face, they wouldn't be so excited to see her again. No one would stop her. She would be able to get to Tsunade and heal her. She didn't know how long it was going to take Marie and her girls to get to Konoha, but she knew once Itachi found out she was there, there was no way in hell she was leaving. Sakura tucked her hair back under her wig, but didn't bother with the contacts anymore. She tied her mask to her hip and shouldered a small pack with a few essentials. She wasn't stopping for anything this time. She didn't need to. There was no baby bump to worry about. There was no odd chakra dragging her down. It was just her and she would get back to Tsunade in record time and she would save her teacher. There was no question about that.

It was time to go home.

Sakura raced along beside Konohomaru, keeping his pace easily. She was used to traveling at twice this speed and figured it was because the kid was only a chuunin at this point. Each level of ninja were expected to run faster and have faster reflexes than the last. Sakura had managed to make it all the way to ANBU.

"It only took me about a week to get to that village before. It'll take the girls and Marie about twice as long," Sakura said quietly as she kept pace with him. How long do you think it took you from Konoha to the village?" she wasn't planning on stopping, not really. She would stop once, within a half day outside of the village, so she could rest and then go straight to Tsunade's side when she got through the gates.

"It took me about a week and a day," Konohomaru said. "I only slept for like five hours at a time." He travelled slower than Sakura, but he had also slept less than she. After the initial forty-eight hours, she had taken a six to eight hour rest every day or so. It should only take four days or so at the rate she could go.

"Do you know how to channel chakra into your feet?" Sakura asked, turning her sharp eyes on him.

"What, like to climb a tree and stuff? Yeah."

"If you let it burst just a little bit when your feet connect with the tree branch, you'll go farther faster. That's how I used to keep up with my anbu teams," Sakura said, demonstrating for him. Konohomaru watched and noticed she was waiting for him several hundred feet ahead. That meant he was about to try his hand at this.

The technique wasn't hard to master, not at all, and he was keeping pace with Sakura instead. He had to keep careful watch on his chakra control, though. He knew Sakura's was damn near perfect and he didn't want to waste much chakra either. In all honesty, he was already feeling pretty lucky that he had found Sakura after all this time, but a private lesson from her was just icing on the cake.

Sakura and Konohomaru travelled quickly together and he knew the gates of Konoha would be in view the night after. Sakura had finally stopped, three days after they started. Three days of no sleep and little rest as they flat out ran back towards home. Sakura jerked her chin up the tree and he followed her, climbing and climbing until the tree limbs could barely hold his weight.

"No one will find us up here," she winked before pulling a blanket out of her bag. Konohomaru understood. She was giving him another trick. He didn't think he would be privy to such things.

The next day, when Sakura saw those gates come into view, she stopped. She hadn't been here in so long. She had run away and hadn't cared about the mess she left behind. She stared at the gates and thought of her two little girls. Oh, how she wished she didn't have to be back here. She shook her head. No. Tsunade needed her. The girls were on their way. Sakura couldn't come home without her girls. She couldn't rob them of the chance to see their father and uncle, their real grandparents, even though she didn't want to see them herself.

"Are you alright?" Konohomaru asked.

"I'll be fine," she choked out, a light sheen of sweat on her brow. She was frightened. She was terrified. She didn't know what was about to happen and she felt like a twelve year old girl again, watching her teammates fall one by one in the chuunin exams until only she was left. Here she was, a scared little girl again, with no idea how to handle the situation. "I'll be fine," she repeated, voice stronger than before. "I'm home."

And like she had so many years ago, she decided it was better to buck up and take it than cower in fear and let those she care about suffer because of it. Tsunade needed her. She had ran without stopping because of that fact. It wouldn't do her well to run away and have that on her conscience for the rest of her life. She took a shaky step forwards.

* * *

 **See? drabbly.**

 **Get some sap with the next chapter, don't you worry babies.**

 **By the way. Caela Sidera**

 **Reference the last chapter if you don't know why that's there. Hint: it's a screen name.**


	12. Chapter 12

**If someone asks you for the definition of anticlimactic, show them this chapter.**

 **Hope you enjoyed me roasting myself. Read on!**

* * *

He hadn't seen her in more than six years. He hadn't heard her voice or held her, hadn't kissed her or held his children in his arms. He knew he had more than one child. He knew they were both girls. About a year ago, a fisherman from some country or another came with an envelope for him. Itachi had attempted to find out where the man had come from, but he would not budge and wouldn't tell him.

Itachi had framed the pictures of his girls. She had sent two dozen of them. He liked to stare at the pictures of them as babies and Sakura had written a couple little notes on the backs of the pictures. She had taken one of them sitting up for the first time and when they had stood and walked. She had sent a couple pictures of the twins in the midst of their training, though they weren't his favorite.

His favorites were the ones with Sakura in them as well. Her pink hair was growing through the years. She had included one in which she'd been sleeping with both the twins on her chest, obviously a few weeks after they'd been born. She had been holding them so very tightly and she looked so peaceful in the tiny bed she'd had. There had been one for every birthday which Sakura would be between the girls, the cake in front of them.

His absolute favorite was a family photo of the three of them. Sakura sat between their daughters, who were leaning into her. She looked the happiest in this picture, though their daughters looked just as happy. He wondered if they knew anything about him. He wondered if Sakura told them about their father and why she ran away from the village. He wondered if she missed him sometimes.

He was staring at that picture that had replaced the one Sakura had taken the day he heard. Shisui came bursting through the door, his eyes excited and a wild grin on his face. He was smiling so energetically and almost seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say. Itachi quietly placed the photo back on the nightstand and rested his hands on his knees, raising his brow at his cousin.

"Sakura's back in Konoha," Shisui finally said. "The mission that sent most of the chuunin out in an attempt to find her so she could heal Lady Tsunade was successful. Konohomaru found her in a port village in Tea country." Itachi wasn't answering, he wasn't even reacting to Shisui's words. His entire world had stopped with the first words that had come out of Shisui's mouth.

"What about my daughters?" Itachi asked. He wanted to see them more than anything. He didn't have words to explain to Shisui his want to see his daughters. Shisui had been there when he'd opened that envelope with all the pictures. Shisui understood, on some level, that all he wanted was to meet his daughters, but he didn't completely understand it. He thought he wanted to see Sakura again.

"I don't know," Shisui shrugged. "You'll have to ask her yourself. She came in with Konohomaru less than a day ago, but she's been in the hospital room since with Tsunade. I don't know when she'll come out of the hospital, but I'll let you know if Tsunade gets better." Shisui was one of the guards watching the door of Tsunade's hospital room. It was him and one other anbu operative. Shisui wasn't too sure who it was, however, therefore couldn't ask him to watch for Sakura's leaving as well.

"Thanks."

"Are you going to try and talk to her?" Shisui asked, leaning against the door now. He wanted to have this conversation now rather than wonder if Itachi was going to try and fix things between him and Sakura. He wondered if Itachi would follow her back to the home she'd made and drag her back here anyways. He didn't know what was going to happen. Itachi hadn't had any serious girlfriends or settled on an arranged marriage since she'd left and so he wondered if he had yet to give up on her.

"I have no wish to make her stay if she doesn't wish to," Itachi said, pulling himself up. It was just as Shisui had feared. Itachi had pulled himself away from the situation. He had disassociated himself from the entire thing and now he didn't care what happened. His father could come out from the closet right now and announce that he was giving the title of family head to Sasuke and Itachi would just shrug and say alright. This was not a good way to be. Shisui knew the man had been depressed, jarringly so, after he'd realized there wasn't anything he could do to find Sakura five years ago.

"If you need to talk, Itachi, you know where to find me," Shisui said quietly, pulling himself off the wall. He watched Itachi for a long moment, wondering how this entire thing was going to come out. He didn't know what was going to happen and wished he could see the future. Would Itachi be okay? Would he be able to see his children, the children he had a handful of pictures of plastered all over his house? Would Sakura snub him and refuse to see him or tell him how his children were doing? He just didn't even know anymore.

Itachi didn't really react to his cousin, just watched him leave. Sakura was back? He didn't know how to feel about that fact. He had spent the last half decade taking as many missions as he could to far off villages and countries just to look at the faces of the villagers and see if he could find her. He never had. He never had a lead on where she was. She never visited him in the dead of night. The only thing he had after these last six years were a handful of pictures with a couple little notes in handwriting that jabbed him in the heart. He didn't know what to think and didn't know what to say to her when he saw her.

He did see her a week and a half later. She was running through the village quick as she could, her pink hair swinging wildly behind her in her race to the gates. Curious, he followed her, not knowing what she was doing. He didn't want to talk to her, still didn't know what to say. He watched her rush to a horse that carried a trailer, a frail old woman on top of it and two young girls beside her. He instantly recognized them. They were his daughters, the girls he didn't even know the names of but had pictures of.

He watched Sakura lift them easily from the cart and hug each of them, giving them kisses all around their faces. He wanted to go and talk to them, say something. He wanted Sakura to acknowledge his presence, but she didn't even turn. Itachi narrowed his eyes.

Since when did he not have the balls to do whatever he wanted? He knew they were the girls from the photos and he knew Sakura wouldn't dare ignore him or brush him off. This had been the first time he'd even seen her since he'd been told that she was back in the village. He didn't pretend to know anything about her now.

He was noticed; however it was not by Sakura. One of the little girls pointed at him and his delicate ears caught her question. "Why is that man watching us mommy?" Sakura slowly stood and looked in his direction. There was such fear in her eyes, though she smiled a thin, worried smile.

"That is your father," she said softly, kneeling back down to smile warmly at them. "Why don't we go say hello?" The little girls' eyes lit up in excitement and they nodded enthusiastically. Sakura stood again and held one of their hands. She seemed to need to hold their hands more than they needed it as she allowed them to pull her forwards. However, when they finally stood in front of him, the little girls didn't know what to say. "Why don't you tell him your names?" she asked softly, refusing to look at him.

"I'm Sachi!" the one on her left called, raising her hand with a glowing, excited smile. She looked over to her sister, but the girl was just staring at Itachi, a wondering smile on her face and a curious look in her eye. "That's Yuuki. Are you really our father?" Sakura flushed and still refused to look at Itachi.

"I am," he managed, though he felt as though his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. The girls' excitement increased tenfold. Sachi began bouncing up and down enthusiastically and Yuuki only continued to stare at him, still caught up in wonder. Sakura held their hands in a death grip. She still didn't have words to say to him and she'd had six and a half years to think about it. He didn't seem to have the words either, though, so at least she had that on her side.

"Mommy? Can we spend time with him?" Sachi was the one to ask. Itachi was quickly learning that Sachi was more in control of what the sisters did than Yuuki. Yuuki didn't seem to mind the suggestion; therefore she wouldn't mind other things Sachi suggested. They seemed rather dependant on each other, though. Yuuki didn't seem to have the words to say and Sachi had too many.

"What do you say, 'Tachi?" His heart stopped when her voice said that old nickname only she would have license to use. He could only stare at her for a long moment before slowly nodding her head. He missed her voice. He missed her face. He missed everything about her, things that no other woman could replace. He hated that he was falling in love with her so quickly just because she had said his name. He hated that he couldn't hate her for what she did to him, for the stunt she pulled. He was so entranced by her beauty and the fact that she almost looked the exact same as she had when she left save for her hair.

"I do not have any missions." Her breath seemed to catch when she finally heard his voice in excess. She shook her head and still refused to look at him, leaning down between their daughters.

"Alright, you two are going to go with daddy, alright?" It sounded so foreign to him, to hear himself be called 'daddy.' "You can show him how well you're doing with your ninja training or you can show him how well you cook. If you're lucky, you'll get to meet your other Nana," Sakura smiled. "Grandma Marie is going to come with me, is that okay? Do you want her with you?"

Yuuki looked up at her father and thought him rather scary. He didn't smile and didn't frown. She couldn't tell what he was thinking and it honestly frightened her. She knew her mother was uncomfortable around him even though Sachi didn't seem to have a problem talking to him and wanting to spend time with him. He still frightened her, though. She didn't really want to spend time with him, she really missed her mom, but Sachi was going and she didn't want to be without her either.

"Sac—Sakura," Marie hopped down from the seat on the cart. "You know, I think I should go with them. They're sneaky little buggers and if I'm not around, they'll get away with murder." Marie had seen Yuuki hesitate when her mother had asked if they wanted Marie with them. She knew the little girl was far more on the side of caution than her sister. She picked up on things her sister did not and Marie was starting to see where she got it from. The stoic man was watching them, judging them, just like Yuuki would. She wondered, offhand, how his daughter could be so much like him when he had never seen her.

"If you think so Mama," Sakura said, pulling herself up. "Where do you want to meet up later, 'Tachi?"

"You should come home, Sakura," Itachi said immediately, watching her closely for any violent reaction. He was wondering if she would allow him to get away with this. He was wondering if she would allow him to talk to her and finally ask her why. Finally get to the bottom of all the questions that had festered in the back of his mind for the better part of a decade. Sakura only became very quiet for a long moment, as though she was thinking about what she should do.

"Same house?"

"Of course." Sakura nodded. She held her daughters' hands out. He offered his own hands to them. Sachi automatically slid her small hand into his, but Yuuki held back. She looked rather scared of him. Marie was beside her then, clenching her small hand in her wrinkled, twisted one. Sakura waved at them as they left and then turned around shortly after, probably to deal with the horse and where to put it.

"So you're really our dad?" Sachi was asking him as he led them to the compound. "Why haven't we seen you before?" Of course, little children always had to ask the most obvious, hard questions right off the bat. Itachi didn't become angry with them; however, he didn't want to be. He took a silent, deep breath, and managed to give the girl a small smile.

"It doesn't matter. We're together now and I am very glad of that fact," he said smoothly. He wanted to pick the little girl up, hold her, reaffirm that she was real and that she was here. It partially felt like a dream and he didn't want to wake up from this one. He wanted to make sure that his family wouldn't leave him again, even the woman that had broken his heart, broken a promise, and run away. He didn't want to give up these people again.

"I guess you're right. What are we going to do?" she asked, wanting to race up the road, but knew better. Nana Marie would yell at her and scold her and she really didn't like that. Nana Marie was perfectly nice if you were being good, but the minute you started being bad and she would yell and scold and fuss for hours. Sachi and her sister had learned a long time ago not to make Nana fuss.

"Are you hungry? We may go back to my home and cook lunch," he said, looking down at her. He wanted to see Yuuki too, but she was being successfully quiet in the back with the old woman. Itachi wondered who the old woman was and why Sakura had called her Mama. Sakura's parents had died a while ago and he knew that.

"We didn't eat breakfast, kid. Let's go make lunch," the old woman barked at Sachi. Sachi only nodded in answer to the old woman. So it seemed it was lunch, then. He thought it was very good the two girls seemed to show a lot of respect to their elders. It would surely make his mother happy when she finally met them. He wasn't going to introduce them to her today. He wanted them all to himself right now. He had been robbed of six and a half years without them; all he wanted now was to be in their presence.

Itachi opened the door and allowed the old woman entrance first, Yuuki in tow. The two girls were rather entranced by what lay inside the door and Itachi wondered why. His wonderings were answered when they both ran up to a wall, pointing at the pictures. He had hung them all in a cluster save for his very favorite that was on the nightstand in his room.

"That's us!" Sachi said, her eyes wide as she stared at the picture. "You must really be our father if you have pictures of us!" Marie didn't say anything. She had helped Sakura take and send the pictures after all, she wasn't too surprised that she had sent them to the father of her children. Sakura was far softer than she seemed and she didn't want to shove Itachi out completely. She simply hadn't known how to back out of the commitment and get more time without upsetting more than a handful of people.

"Why don't you help your father with lunch?" Marie asked, shooing them off to the kitchen where Itachi was pulling out things to make a salad with. Marie collapsed on a couch, closing her eyes. She was tired after their long journey and could really use a nap. She would demand a bed out of the man after lunch, but she was too hungry to do so now. The twins were set to take a nap after lunch as well, though she was sure they would ask to take a nap with the tall black-haired man. He seemed far too interested in wanting to spend with them, so she didn't think he would have the presence of mind to say no.

Marie had to admit that, after observing the man with his children for a solid twenty minutes, he was rather good with children. He was patient and soft spoken, much like the little Yuuki that was beginning to cling to his side having taken a liking to him. Sachi had spilled dressing on the floor and he only gave her a stern look and a rag. She cleaned it up quickly and he graced her with a smile. Yuuki finally spoke to him and asked if she could stir the pasta on the stove. He relinquished the spoon with a pat on her shoulder. Marie had seen the same stern, soft-spoken nature in Sakura, though she had a tendency to blow if she was annoyed enough. No wonder they had been set to marry. They complimented each other perfectly.

Itachi set a plate in front of her before following the girls into the dining room. He had thought her too tired to join them and he was quite right. She happily ate her pasta and salad alone and comfortable on the couch. She heard the girls talking excitedly to their father and she was glad that Sakura had decided to allow them to come along. She knew Sakura had felt terrible for keeping her children away from their father and probably thought this was prime time to allow them to see him.

"Nana Marie! Do we have to take a nap today?" Sachi came bursting into the room, her plate in one hand and her glass in another. Marie pursed her lips and handed the girl her plate. The girl knew she wasn't going to get any answers until she was done washing up and so went to do so. She came back, bouncing and hoping she wouldn't have to take a nap today.

"You know you have to or your mother is going to be very upset with you." Itachi and Yuuki were just coming back into the room. Yuuki had Itachi's plate and glass in her hands and she went to wash them before going to see what Sachi was trying to get from Nana today. Yuuki was never the one to demand no nap times or more playtime. She just liked to curl up and sleep for a few hours in the afternoon. It was nice. "Why don't you ask your father if he'll allow you to take a nap with him in his bed today?" Marie asked, raising her brow at the little girl. Obviously, she thought this was a great idea because she nodded enthusiastically and bounded over to where Itachi was standing.

"Could we nap with you today, daddy?" she asked. He wondered how that word could fall off her tongue so easily when she had only met him less than an hour ago. He wondered how this little girl that had never met him was so excited over his existence and wanted to spend all of her time with him. He couldn't say no to her, not when her eyes were so wide and she was smiling up at him like he was the only person in this world. Is this what being a father was like? He wasn't sure, he had finally earned the title of father just this morning.

"Of course. My bedroom is the last one in the hallway. Why don't you and your sister get into bed? I have to show Nana to her own room," he answered her pleasantly, pointing her in the right direction. He thought the old woman would want a nap of her own. She seemed quite tired.

"Thank you, young man," she said when he crossed to her and held out his hand to help her up. "I thought I would have had to ask for a room."

"I thought you would need a nap after travelling all that distance with two young girls," he answered smoothly, leading her to the same hallway he had just sent the girls down. He stopped at the first door on the right and ushered her inside. It was a pleasant guest bedroom with a bed that was large enough to fit three of Marie's. Marie wasn't complaining, however, she thought the bed looked quite soft and quite nice.

"I know you have questions," Marie turned to him. "I don't think I'm the one that should answer them. Sakura will be here tonight and I'll make sure the girls are occupied while you talk to her."

"I appreciate the gesture," Itachi said, a slight smile on his lips for her. "How long do the girls usually nap?"

"Two hours. After their nap, they usually go outside and train with their mother. I don't know what she's taught them, you'll have to ask them yourself, but I don't think Sakura will be upset if you give them their lesson today," Marie said flippantly, already on her way to the bed. "Don't expect me to be awake until dinner. And then don't expect me to be awake until breakfast," the old woman joked as she crawled into her bed. Itachi didn't answer, merely closed the door and walked slowly to his own bedroom. The girls were already on the bed, watching the doorway, waiting for his return. Sachi began bouncing around excitedly. Sachi definitely reminded him of Sakura, though Sakura's excitement was much more toned down in her adulthood.

"Calm down, it's time for a nap," Itachi said quietly, climbing into the bed. He pulled the book he'd been reading from his nightstand, intent on reading it while they napped. To his surprise, they snuggled up to his body. Sachi laid her head right on his shoulder and settled into the crook of his arm while Yuuki was a little more tentative and laid her head on his stomach. He was surprised and slightly confused. Perhaps they did this with Sakura too? He could see that. He just hadn't thought such a thing would happen to him in his lifetime.

He had managed to almost finish his book by the time they woke up. Sachi was the first one to wake and stretched languidly, pulling herself up into a sitting position and looking blearily around the room. "Daddy?" she finally said after a few long moments of seemingly remembering where she was. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Out in the hallway. It is the first door on the left," he answered, allowing her to disentangle herself. Yuuki didn't wake up until Sachi had come back and was bouncing on the bed, beckoning her sister to wake up. It seemed Sachi really was the ringleader, but didn't want to do anything without her sister. When they were awake and staring at him, he finally decided to talk.

"I was told that you train after your nap. Would you like to do that?" he asked. He would have to change into his regular training clothes. He didn't know how good they were, but he didn't feel like getting his clothes dirty. It wasn't on the list of things he wanted to do today.

"We love to train!" Sachi said, bouncing off the bed. "Where are we going to go? Mama says we aren't allowed to train in the house because we could break something." Itachi only shook his head. He hadn't ever been inside a child's head, but so far it was an interesting journey.

"We'll just go outside," he said with a smirk. He couldn't help it. They were just too entertaining. He followed them outside and then gestured to follow him behind the house. They bounded after him quickly. He pulled open the gate at the back of yard to one of the private training grounds on the compound.

"Are we allowed to use weapons? Mom doesn't let us use them very often. She likes to teach us how to control our chakra more than anything," Sachi said, looking at the ground. Itachi didn't really care, but he knew he was going to have to come up with an answer eventually. He thought for a moment before coming up with an answer.

"I suppose we can use weapons. Therefore we only use taijutsu. If your mother asks, just tell her that we did what you usually do," he said. Sachi seemed rather excited, but Yuuki didn't seem to know what to think. Perhaps she was not that good at taijutsu? He didn't know. He would find out within a few minutes.

These girls just had so much energy, as he found out. They had been sparring for about two hours at this point and they were still coming at him. He wasn't a man of low stamina, merely played with them for the most part. He didn't care much that he wasn't getting much out of this. He just enjoyed watching his daughters come at him in much the same way Sakura would. She had instilled her fighting style into them and nurtured it. They would surely be wonderful shinobi when they came of age.

He finally stopped them when the sun began to dip below the horizon. He guessed that they really enjoyed sparring. It was probably the highlight of their day if they've gone on this long with him. It was time to make dinner, though, and he had to go to the market. He would take them with him if they wanted to come. He didn't mind. He would figure out what they wanted for dinner as well.

"Why'd you stop, daddy?" Sachi asked, her luminous eyes watching him. Yuuki merely stopped, handing her kunai back to him. He stashed that and Sachi's back in his pouch before answering.

"It's almost time to make dinner. Would you like to come with me to the market?" he asked, watching them. Yuuki seemed about to say no, but Sachi shot her a pleading look. Sachi didn't want to go without her sister and so would stay behind if she really didn't want to go, but she also really didn't want to stay behind. She wasn't about to do anything her sister didn't want to do, though.

"Okay," came Yuuki's little voice. Sachi smiled a huge smile and looked up at Itachi, seemingly ready already. Itachi thought for a moment. He could always take a shower later after dinner and so just began leading them through the compound. He knew Sakura would probably be around either right before dinner or halfway through it, and so he knew he was going to have to make something that she really liked.

"Do you know what your mother's favorite food is?" he asked while they walked, his hand in Sachi's and her other in Yuuki's. Yuuki seemed thoughtful for a moment while Sachi only shrugged. She didn't really pay attention to things like that.

"Mommy makes a lot of things with chicken," Yuuki spoke up. "She likes to make chicken parmesan the most. Does that mean she likes that the most?" she tilted her head at Itachi. She had never asked Sakura what her favorite meal was and hadn't really needed to know. Itachi only nodded.

"I suppose that would make it her favorite meal," he said quietly. He remembered when he used to make her that very dish when he went to visit her during her lunch break in the hospital. She would eat is so quickly and was always so happy when she saw that was what was in the bowl. He was sure she made it so often because it reminded her of him. He wouldn't doubt it because he did the same things. He would make or do something that she would like just because she liked it. It reminded him of a better time.

He brought them around to the different stalls and let them pick out what they thought were the perfect ingredients, though he was sure to get all the ingredients they would need so it wasn't missing anything. Sachi insisted on she and Yuuki holding the bags and so he let him. He didn't mind. If one of them said they were tired, he would take it from them. No one questioned him about the two little girls. No one gave him odd looks and asked him where they came from or who they were. He wondered why, but didn't really care. He was far too caught up in the fact that Sachi had just noticed some sweets in the bakery window and was currently giving them the biggest eyes ever.

"You know, this used to be your mother's favorite bakery," he said, suddenly remembering when he had brought her sweets from here the one day when he'd been worried about her after a mission. "Would you like to go in and choose some things for after dinner?" he asked, gesturing to the door. Sachi looked up at him, hesitating, almost asking if she really could. She didn't think Itachi would be that nice, but she really liked the idea of picking something out. "Come," he said with an air of finality. Sachi broke out into a huge smile and followed him into the store.

It took her a couple minutes to decide, but she finally found a chocolate cake she thought Sakura would like. Itachi didn't mind buying a few pieces of it. He heard a soft noise behind him and turned to see Yuuki standing there, her face turning a delicate shade of red. He waited for her to speak. She didn't seem to be able to say anything though, so she pulled Sachi from beside him and whispered in her ear.

"Why don't you ask him? You know he'll say yes if he knows why," Sachi said after her sister was done whispering in her ear. Yuuki flushed a deeper red and covered her mouth with her hand, looking up at Itachi. She was just scared.

"Did you want to get something?" he asked, finally understand what it was she was trying to ask him. He guessed that she often let opportunities pass her by because she was just so shy and introverted that she didn't have the courage or the words to say to take those opportunities. Itachi didn't want her to feel put out because she couldn't ask him a question.

"For Nana," Yuuki said softly, looking up at him. She moved past him and pointed at a pastry in the case. "It looks like the ones back home that she really likes." Itachi was stunned by the thoughtfulness of the little girl. She had seen something she had thought her Nana would like and so made it a point to ask if she could get it. He was glad he asked her what she wanted.

He bought it for her and allowed her to carry it in its little box while he took the bags she had been holding. They made their way back to his home and he wasn't surprised to see that Sakura still hadn't come yet. He wasn't expecting her to. He remembered that she had a tendency to work too late, but he knew she would be here eventually. Her daughters were here and he knew she wouldn't leave them for very long. That was just her personality.

He was right. She appeared right before dinner started. She rang the doorbell and he went to answer it. She stared at him for a long moment, unsure of what to say. She still didn't have the words even though she had thought about all day while she tended to Tsunade. Tsunade was doing better soon and she was hoping she would wake up soon.

"Hi," she finally said in a soft, quick, quiet voice. "Um, how were they?" she didn't have any practice with this type of things and she felt quite awkward and wished she could back out and walk away. She couldn't, though. Her daughters were here and she had to stay. The only thing she could hope was that they had gotten along and hadn't given Itachi any trouble.

"Momma!" Surprised, Itachi moved to the side as soon as he heard Yuuki's loud cry. He hadn't heard anything more than whispers come out of her mouth, but she threw that out the window when she saw Sakura. Sakura fell to her knees and opened her arms with a wide smile, falling back when Yuuki crashed into her arms. "Mommy, I missed you," she said happily, pushing her head into Sakura's neck.

"I know baby. How was your day with daddy?" she asked, carefully pulling her arms from around her neck. She cradled the little girl and lifted her easily to rest her little body against her hip. Yuuki smiled and hugged her around the neck again.

"It was fun. We made lunch and then took a nap with him and then we sparred for a long, long time, and then we went to the market to get stuff for dinner, and now we're here and dinner's almost ready!" she said, her words running together in her excitement. Sakura smiled and cradled her more securely. Itachi noticed that she still hadn't walked into the house and tilted his head. Was she still scared of him?

"Come in, Sakura," he said quietly, stepping to the side and reaching to touch her arm. Sakura jumped and bit her lip, staring at him in her nervousness. She knew she couldn't stay out here forever just holding Yuuki, so she finally entered the house. Everything was pretty much the same and iit bothered her slightly. How had he not redecorated in six years?

"Mommy, mommy!" Sachi came barreling around the corner this time and she hugged Sakura around the waist, planting her face in her stomach. "Mommy, I have to show you something," she said now, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her deeper into the house. Sakura passed an apologetic look to Itachi before she allowed Sachi to pull her to whatever she was so excited about. "Look, mommy! He framed these and put them up!" Sachi pointed to the wall of the photos Sakura had sent him about a year ago.

"I sent these to him, remember?" Sakura asked, looking at the pictures. A frown tugged at the corners of her mouth when she noticed one was missing. "Where's the one where we're outside and they're on either side of me?" she asked him as he came around the corner. She thought it odd that it wasn't in the collage.

"In my room. It replaced the one you took," he answered immediately. He walked to the kitchen to finish dinner while she stared, awestruck, at the wall. He didn't know what was going through her mind, but he was so very happy that she was in his house with their daughters. It gave him a taste of what should have been and made him slightly bitter. He still didn't know whether she was going to stay with them or take them away from him again. He didn't want her to take them away from him again. He really hated that idea.

"It smells really good," Sakura said timidly as she came into the kitchen. She had sent the girls to go wake up Marie and bring her in for dinner. She hadn't wanted to be alone with Itachi, but she wanted to let him know that she was trying and so thought this was the easiest and the best way to do it. Itachi didn't seem too upset about the fact that she had said something, but didn't answer either. "Itachi?"

"You don't have to attempt pleasantries if you do not want to," he said as he pulled the chicken out of the oven and went to strain the noodles from the pot. Sakura stared at him in surprise for a long moment, a hint of tears behind her eyes. She hadn't expected so much hostility to come from him and it hurt her, it hurt her a lot.

"I wasn't attempting to talk because I didn't want to," no, it didn't make sense even as she said it, but she didn't care. "I was attempting to talk because I'm trying. I apologize. I'm staying at Tsunade's house if you would like me to leave and bring the girls by when it's time for bed." She began to turn towards the door, not wanting to hear him reject her again, but he stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

"I did not mean it in anger or passive aggressive behavior," he said, watching her with that stare she hadn't had on her in six years. "I meant that you do not have to talk to me if you don't want to. If you would like a glass of wine and to sit on the couch, you are more than allowed to," he explained, hoping it made sense to her. Her expression softened.

"I suppose I will take that glass of wine at least," she said, looking at his hand on her arm now. He nodded impassively and let her go, grabbing a wine glass and pouring the red wine he'd gotten into it. He handed it to her before going back to preparing dinner. Sakure half wondered where Marie was and shook her head. She was probably keeping the girls busy so that she could have a couple minutes alone with their father.

"Sakura," he said quietly as he threw the salad together and poured sauce into the pasta. "Why did you leave?" This was the biggest question that had plagued him since she left and he couldn't help but ask her at this point. It was burning in his mind and since he had her alone now, he wanted to know. Sakura sighed and set her wine glass down, playing with the stem and watching the liquid inside.

"I was scared," she finally said. "I was twenty and pregnant. We were supposed to be married in a week. I never thought about getting married and it scared me that I really hadn't had a choice because I chose to keep the pregnancy," she continued quietly. "I didn't want people to look at you in disgust and judge you because you knocked me up and had a shotgun wedding. I didn't want them to stare at our girls like they were bastards or for people in the clan to question your position because of them." Her reasons were half thought out and didn't make much sense, not even to her, but it had been what she was telling herself for the past six years, that's all she really had. She knew how it sounded and she absolutely hated it.

"I wish you would have said something to me," he said, turning to look at her. He hadn't really forgiven her, but there was no real reason to be angry. He didn't have a reason, not at all. It had happened so long ago and it was so far in the past that it didn't matter that she left. It just mattered that she was here and it mattered whether she was going to leave again. "Do you regret leaving?" he needed to know. He needed to know if she felt bad for leaving, if she missed him. It would make it easier to forgive her if she admitted that she missed him and regretted her decision.

"Sometimes, but I don't really know if I should. I don't know if my leaving made it easier on you. I don't know what went on here in the last six years. I missed you and I missed everyone and I felt bad that you didn't know your daughters, which is why I sent those photos. I thought you should know what your daughters look like at least and I wasn't really planning on coming back in case you had moved on and found a new wife. New wives don't really like children from a different relationship," Sakura answered, shrugging. She knew this sounded lame as well. Everything sounded lame and if she didn't feel bad about leaving before, she definitely did now.

"I didn't think you would return, but I have never found interest in anyone else," he told her, catching her with those dark, dark eyes. She flushed under his gaze and stared at the counter. "When I was given those pictures, I tried very hard to get the fisherman to tell me where you were. He did not tell me and I was not very happy. I wished you would come back, but you never did. I have taken so many missions to faraway lands just to look in the villages for you." Sakura felt those tears starting to come back. She felt horrible. She didn't know that he had spent all these years still looking for her. She didn't know that she had really been the one for him. She thought she was doing him a favor, but she knew now that she had really hurt him and she didn't know if he could ever forgive her.

"I'm sorry," her voice was hoarse with the beginnings of tears behind her eyes. "I'm so sorry and I don't know what I was thinking anymore. I'm sorry that I stole all those years away from you to be with your daughter," she was crying now, hiccupping and sniffling without caring. "I'm sorry that I never came back and the only thing I ever sent you was those pictures. I'm sorry for everything and I wish I would have thought it through and talked to you before just leaving you." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and coughed, tensing in how upset she was.

Itachi couldn't help himself. He was so upset with her. He was upset and relieved that she was here and talking to him. He didn't think he was going to touch her, but he didn't think she would be crying and looking so pathetic in his kitchen. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her harshly to his chest, a hand on the back of her head, pressing her face to his shoulder.

"It's alright now," he heard himself saying, not really realizing what he was saying. He didn't care what he was saying as long as she stopped crying. She could hold him to his words later and he would accept it as the truth because he stood behind whatever he said, even if it was because she was upset and he wanted to calm her down. "You're here. The only thing that could hurt me now is if you're planning on leaving again."

"You love them, don't you? Tell me you love them and I won't take them away. I won't go anywhere. I don't care if you don't love me. I don't care if you can't be with me. As long as you love them and you want to be with them, I won't leave again." She said all this in a rush, pulling away from him and staring at him with wide eyes, a look that Yuuki could mimic so very well.

"I do love them, but if you stay it will be as a family." He was still part of a prominent family. He still couldn't get away with having children outside of marriage. He would be shunned and so would she and he couldn't do that to her. Though he wouldn't really care or mind, he knew she would. She wasn't used to living on the edge of society like he was. He didn't socialize a lot and didn't want to, hence why he hadn't found anyone he liked as much as Sakura. "I am still to be the head of the family. If you are to stay with them, it will be known that they are my children and I will be shunned and disgraced along with you and our children if we do not marry."

"Will you actually ask me this time instead of just assuming I'll go through with it?" she asked, staring up at him with a cynical eye. He couldn't be angry with her, not now. She was reminding him why he was so entranced with her in the first place. She could go from one emotion to another in half a second and make him feel like he was the only person in the world. Although it was six years later, there was something in her eyes that made her look wary. She was cynical and slightly angry about life and it made him want to smile, like now.

"I will ask if you wish me to," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair, "Only if I am sure you will say yes." He still didn't know whether she was going to stay or not. He didn't quite trust her words yet even though she had said she would stay if he said he loved his daughters. She didn't bat an eye at his choice of words because the girls barreled around the corner. She pushed away from him quickly and he wondered why. He didn't have time to dwell on it, though, because he realized everyone was probably hungry.

Sometime later, the girls were asleep in the other guest bedroom and Marie had gone back to bed the moment dinner was over. Itachi and Sakura were sitting on the couch, tea in their hands. It reminded Sakura of the days before she left when she would sit with him and read a book while she read a book.

"Do you still have Charlie?" she asked suddenly.

"Charlie died," Itachi said bluntly, "but," he got up and went to his room, looking in the closet. Oftentimes she would hide in here. "This is Snow paws," he said when he came back to the living room, placing the cat into her lap. "She is one of Charlie's litter." Sakura's face lit up as she pet the little cat. The cat warmed right up to her and purred, settling on her lap.

"Did you name her Snow paws?"

"No. Shisui did." Sakura laughed and hugged the cat to her chest for a quick moment. She sighed when she looked at the clock. It was half past nine. That meant time for bed. The girls would be up at the crack of dawn and she would have to be off to check on Tsunade then anyways.

"I have to get to bed," she said as she pulled herself up and stretched, intending on heading to the room where her girls were sleeping. She didn't mind sleeping with them, it happened so often. She didn't know if Itachi wanted to sleep with her anyways. She didn't even know how she felt about Itachi anyways. She didn't know if he really wanted her around or would send her away eventually. She just didn't know and so was treading lightly around him. He watched her get up and moved to join her. He also didn't quite know what to do. He didn't know, really, if he did want her in his bed tonight or not. He thought it would be alright, he wouldn't be upset if she were to join him but he didn't know if she wanted to.

"Did you want to come with me?" he asked as they stopped outside the girls' room. Sakura flushed and looked up at him, looking quite uncertain and like she didn't know if she wanted to or not. He waited patiently, wondering if she would choose to sleep with their daughters or some to bed with him. A small smile spread over her face. She reached to him.

"Carry me?" He let out the softest chuckle and lifted her easily into his arms. She giggled and held tight to his neck. He couldn't help the smile on his face as he brought her to his room and let her down into his bed. She grabbed his wrist and pouted when he made to move away.

"I have to take a shower. Do not worry. I will not jump out the window." Sakura giggled, turning over. She was very tired after all this work with Tsunade. She hadn't done such intensive work in years. Itachi only shook his head and went to his bathroom.

Sakura was asleep when he came back from his shower. Itachi stared at her for a long moment before climbing into bed with her. He didn't touch her, didn't know if he could or not. He didn't know how she would react. It felt nice just to have her next to him, however. He fell asleep beside her, hoping she wouldn't be gone with their children by the time he woke.

* * *

 **My cats keep doing the kitty 500 at 4 am. STOP I NEED TO SLEEP. I HAVE WORK IN 8 HOURS.  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Fluff!**

 **Oh, and lemon.**

 **TREAD CAREFULLY IF YOU ARE CHILD.**

* * *

"I can't do this," Sakura was saying while she bustled around the house, cleaning up. Sachi and Yuuki were asleep in their bedroom and it was a good time to clean up the house after all their playtime. Itachi was standing in the living room watching her, unsure of what to do. He didn't know why she was upset and he didn't know how to help her and calm her down.

"Why?" was all his eloquent mind could think of asking. He didn't even know what was wrong and berated himself for not asking that first. He wasn't particularly trying hard to understand either. He was still feeling the slight vestiges of anger and now wanted to make her try for him rather than the other way around like all those years ago. It was petty, he knew it, but he couldn't help but punish her just a little bit.

"Your father doesn't know I'm back. Your father doesn't know that your children are in your home right now and you want me to take them over there tonight and introduce them to your parents. Don't you think we should give them a heads up and say 'hey, Sakura's back and she brought my two bastards with her, so don't be surprised when she shows up for dinner tonight!'"

"I wish you would not refer to our children as bastards," Itachi said harshly, giving her a minute glare. She scoffed.

"That's what they are, Itachi! We aren't married. Your father is definitely going to call them that, probably to their faces no less, and I don't even know what your mother or Sasuke are going to do. Mikoto isn't exactly the best when it comes to defending anything and last thing I knew Sasuke was pretty much in the 'I hate Sakura' zone, so I don't expect anything from him either."

"Sakura, calm down." He was giving in. He couldn't do this. It was easier to fall back into their old routine than try and force her to make a new one. She was still pretty much the same as she had been six years ago and he knew how to deal with her then. He could deal with her now. He caught her by her wrist. "I do not understand why you are overthinking things. In case you have forgotten, they knew you were pregnant when you ran away. I doubt they expect our children to magically disappear, though I do suspect them to be surprised they are twins instead of one. Apart from that, the entire village already knows you're back. You cannot possibly think that the news of your return wouldn't spread like wildfire."

"No one's come looking for me, though. I'm pretty sure that means they don't want me around," she said harshly, glaring at the floor. She couldn't think when his stoic gaze was on her, looking through her, and she wanted to be able to be eloquent at the moment.

"Perhaps they are attempting to give you space because they are afraid you are going to leave again." Shisui had something in that regard to him a couple days ago. Shisui had been beside himself when he heard Sakura had returned, but he didn't go looking for her. He didn't want to chase her off by tracking her down.

"I don't know, Itachi. Will you let me go, by the way?" she glared down at his hand still on her wrist. He hadn't really touched her and she hadn't tried to touch him either. They slept beside each other each night, but didn't even touch. Sakura didn't break the barrier and crawl to him and he didn't reach out and bring her close. If they wouldn't even hold each other in bed, there was no way in hell that they were going to kiss any time soon. Itachi was slightly upset that they couldn't just go back to what they used to be, but he knew everything took time. Sakura didn't seem too bothered, but he didn't know what she was thinking anymore. Right now, however, she wanted to be let go, but he didn't want to. He pulled her harshly to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She hesitated for a long minute before slowly wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Why don't we take a nap while they are?" he asked quietly. Sakura hadn't been sleeping very well and that was probably part of the cause for her bad mood right now. "I believe you'll feel better about tonight if you are a little more rested." Sakura didn't answer, just wrapped her arms around his neck. He wanted to laugh. She did this a lot now. When he suggested bed, she would want him to carry her. He didn't know why, but he gave into her every time anyways.

He let her down into the bed. He wasn't planning to lay down with her. He was planning to finish tidying up, but her hand on his arm stopped him. She didn't want him to go. She thought he had been softening up in the last few minutes, but if he didn't lie down then she was totally wrong. She tugged him slightly and he gave into her again, climbing into the bed with her. She waited until he was comfortable and then moved to lay her cheek on his shoulder. She couldn't help her smile when she felt his arms wrap around her tightly.

"Mommy, mommy!" Sakura woke to Sachi bouncing on the bed. She yawned and smiled, trying to sit up so she could hug her girl. She couldn't sit up, however, and she couldn't help but laugh. Itachi was holding her tightly, his face buried in her neck, and he growled and tightened his arms when she tried to get up.

"'Tachi, I need to attend to our daughter," she said, trying to pry his arms from around her. Sachi was watching, confused.

"It's okay," Sachi giggled. She crawled up to her mother, who opened her arms and allowed her to press against her body. "Yuuki's here too, she's just hiding," Sachi laughed.

"Yuuki," Sakura called. "Why don't you come up here, baby girl?" Yuuki didn't often do things straightforward like Sachi did. She was much more adept to waiting for Sakura to beckon her forwards. Sakura felt the weight of Yuuki on the bed and the little girl crawled to join Sachi in Sakura's embrace.

"Why can't you get up, mommy?" Yuuki asked, peering up at Itachi's face. He had awakened by now and was watching his little family with a sleepy gaze. He hadn't moved his arms or his face, wanting to keep this moment going. He was so very warm and Sakura was cradled in his arms, their daughters in hers. He didn't want to give this moment up for anything else.

"Well you see," Sakura laughed and pulled back the covers just slightly to show them how Itachi was holding her. "Daddy doesn't like it if I get up and he isn't ready to." The little girls laughed. "But daddy doesn't realize that it's time for training, does he?" Sakura asked snidely, her hand on the side of his head. The girls giggled again.

"Skip it today," was all he said. She flushed. She didn't know what had gotten into him, but she didn't know how to feel about it either. He was being possessive and warm, there was something in his voice that pleaded with her to skip it and just stay in this bed a little longer. She wondered why. Perhaps she would have to ask him about it later. Itachi knew he won because he felt her relax in his hold. She wasn't about to try and get away from him any time soon.

"Turn on the TV then, or you're about to have two very squirmy girls climbing all over you," Sakura said to him. He let out a soft huff and turned to grab the remote, doing as she said. Sakura smiled and turned on her back now that she was out of his tight hold. Itachi wasn't happy that he couldn't simply return to his place, but he couldn't be upset either. Yuuki had climbed onto Sakura and laid her head on her stomach. Sakura lazily braided her hair after she got comfortable.

Itachi managed to push an arm underneath Sakura again and lay on his side, his cheek on the pillow beside her. He took to watching them instead, interested when Sachi beckoned Sakura to sit up a little more. Yuuki wasn't interested in what Sachi was doing, far too happy to lay on Sakura's stomach and have her hair braided. Sachi began doing Sakura's hair now.

"Mommy used to wear a wig every single day," Sachi started as she watched her fingers braid Sakura's hair. She liked the color and always wanted to play with it when it was out. "I don't know why she did. Me and Yuuki really like her pink hair. We like to brush it and braid it." Itachi looked at Sakura curiously, wondering if she would explain why she wore a wig all the time.

"How do you think it was so hard to find me?" Sakura asked, catching Itachi's look. She sat up more, causing his head to fall to her shoulder so Sachi could get to her hair more easily. "I wore one of my anbu wigs for the last six years and used colored contacts. It's pretty hard to recognize me if I change all the aspects you know about me. I saw you once in Degarashi when I was still pregnant. You didn't even look twice at me." Itachi was surprised. She had seen him on a mission in Degarashi? He had been so close to her and hadn't even recognized her. Sakura was very good at disguising herself it seemed. She was obviously just as good as she was at throwing people off her tracks.

"I am glad you don't wear a wig anymore," Itachi said, his voice a mere murmur next to her ear. She flushed and smiled at him. He watched her drag her fingers through Yuuki's hair. Yuuki obviously was just as in love with the action as her mother was. Sachi was still braiding her mother's hair. Sakura had a lot more hair now than she had before and he could understand how Sachi could spend forever braiding it. Sakura didn't even seem to mind.

"Are we still going to your parent's tonight?" Sakura asked, yawning as she wrapped an arm around his neck in a hug. Yuuki shivered on top of her and she pulled the blanket snugly around her. Yuuki was usually cold. She was watching the program Itachi had put on and was still enjoying Sakura's fingers pulling through her hair.

"I would like to," Itachi said, though he would also like to stay in this bed all afternoon with her and their children. He really was enjoying them here. Sakura only nodded sleepily and rested her cheek on the side of his head. Yuuki was watching him from where she was on Sakura's stomach. He wondered how she could have such luminous eyes and wondered why she liked to stare at him so very much.

"How about it, girls? Do you want to meet your grandparents and your uncle tonight?" Sakura asked her voice an octave higher and a smile on her face. Sachi was quite excited about the idea, but Yuuki was a little more uncertain. "Don't worry, Yuuki, we aren't going to be leaving you alone with them," Sakura said with a smile. Yuuki seemed a lot happier with Sakura's reassurance and she nodded. Sachi had already gotten excited and said yes a million times. "Alright, you two should go take a bath and change your clothes then," Sakura said, ushering them off the bed.

Itachi was slightly upset that his daughters weren't with them anymore, but Sakura shot him a mischievous look. "And that's how you get your children to leave you alone for a little while," she giggled. She didn't know where Marie was at the moment. She had been introduced to some of the elders in the village and spent most of her afternoons and evenings with them in tea shops gossiping and talking about how good the old days were.

"You wanted them to leave us alone?" he asked, sounding just slightly sad.

"You wanted them to stay?" Sakura asked, twisting to press her face into his neck. He, surprised, wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged her to his chest. "I was under the impression that you wanted to hold me close."

"I was glad to watch them," he said quietly, enjoying how she felt in his arms and in his bed. It was so very pleasant to feel her here after so long. "I have not been able to watch them for six years. I enjoy watching them do whatever they want to do. I liked watching her braid your hair and I thought Yuuki was adorable while she laid on your stomach." He let her pull away just slightly and caught her with his gaze. He wanted to kiss her. He didn't know how he could go about kissing her.

"Itachi," she was smiling now. She knew that look in his eyes. It was such an old look in his eye that she hadn't seen in such a long time. She wrapped her hand in his collar and pulled him down, staring at him in indecision when she got him down to her level. His hands were moving. Moving up her back and pressing her to his body as he descended on her mouth.

He was holding her so tightly as he kissed her, a hand on the back of her neck to prevent her from pulling away. He hadn't kissed anyone in so long; Sakura was probably his last, and he kissed her like he would not kiss her again. He finally released her and she dropped her head to his shoulder, her hand still wrapped in his collar.

"We should get up and get ready," he said, looking at the clock. If they were to make dinner at his parents, they had to be there within an hour or so. Sakura shook her head and groaned. She really didn't want to go, but she knew Itachi wasn't going to let her get out of it. The girls were quite excited anyways and she didn't want to take their excitement away form them.

"Fine," she sighed and tried to pull away from him. It was quite difficult, but he let her go eventually. She pulled herself out of bed and locked the door before going through her bag inside the closet. She still hadn't unpacked. She didn't know if she was staying yet and didn't want to get Itachi's hopes up. If she put her clothes up in the closet, she would break his heart when she left again. She chose a nice pair of slacks and a pretty shirt that she quite liked. "Did you want to come with me?" she flushed when she asked, not quite knowing what made her ask.

Itachi seemed rather surprised that she asked as well. He took an appreciative look at her body. She wondered how long the girls would take with their bath and if they would attempt to knock down the door when they were done. He picked himself up and opened the door, waiting for her to go into the bathroom first.

She turned on the water and was rather shy in taking off her clothes. She hadn't done anything like this since the last time they'd been together. He didn't seem to care about that fact, just pulled his own clothes off. She was in the shower before him, probably too shy to let him look at her too long. He followed her in and found her underneath the water. He couldn't help but to wrap his hands around her hips and pull her back against his body. He heard her harsh intake of breath. Without quite thinking about it, he buried his lips in her neck, pulling another sharp breath from her. She knew what she was getting herself into when she asked him if he wanted to join her. She knew this is what would happen.

His hands pulled her harshly against his lower body and she closed her eyes, her head falling back against his shoulder. He had her and he enjoyed it. He ground his erection into her bottom and she grabbed his wrist, her grip tight. Beforehand, her hands had been tightly clasped to her chest and so he took the opportunity to push his hands up her body and knead her breasts, finally pulling a soft moan from her lips.

"Is this what you wanted?" he murmured against her neck, pinching and pulling a nipple before smoothing his fingers over it. She was breathing a little more harshly now, soft noises leaving the back of her throat. "Did you miss me?" he asked, dragging his hand down to press against her stomach and push her harshly back into his groin.

"Itachi, you're such a tease," she managed to get out, though it was quite breathless. He smirked and turned her cheek towards him to latch onto her mouth, forcing his tongue into hers not even a moment later. She sagged in his arms, breathing harshly, though he held her up quite easily. He was really enjoying her reactions. She was more sensitive than he remembered.

"Is that so?" he asked after he pulled away from her mouth, watching her with hazy eyes. He dragged his fingers down her body and found her clit rather easily, rubbing harshly in tight circles. She arched against him and her moan was much more audible. "Shh, you don't want them to be asking questions," he murmured, kissing her and plunging a couple fingers into her heat. She didn't seem to hear him as she let out another rather loud moan and her hand was on his arm, a death grip cutting off his circulation.

"Yes, you're a tease!" she gasped, thoroughly enjoying the way he plunged his fingers into her over and over, causing her nerve endings to catch on fire. He was growing painfully aroused and he just wanted to be inside her. She was growing louder in volume and he knew he had to finish this quickly before she started screaming. His walls were not soundproof. They would have two very curious girls if he didn't finish this rather quickly.

He spun her around and lifted her, allowing her to wrap her legs around his hips before pressing her against the cool shower wall and plunging into her. He crashed his mouth down on hers to muffle the loud moan that came forth. She dug her nails into his shoulders and only had the presence of mind to kiss him back.

"Harder 'Tachi," she groaned when he pulled away. She was enjoying his rather slow pace, but she was getting frustrated, wishing he would move faster. Move faster and harder like she liked it. He answered her with a harsh snap of his hips and she buried her head in his shoulder, moaning as low as she could. Damn, it felt good. He did it again and she tightened her hold on his shoulders. "Faster," she whined. He hadn't increased his pace, only had begun to pierce her more harshly.

"Are you ready for it?" he asked lowly, attaching his mouth to her neck again. She nodded rapidly, wishing he would just do it already. "Fine." With that he began to rut wildly into her, enjoying the fact that she moaned every time he thrust into her. She buried her mouth in his neck and bit down, muffling her moans and driving him to thrust more harshly, his fingers digging into her hips.

She held him tightly and let out a shrill moan after a few minutes of this treatment and he felt her walls tightening around him. He slowed down just a bit to draw it out and she continued moaning, her grip on his shoulders still tightening. He began thrusting harshly into her again, feeling her muscles flutter and tighten around him. She was just trying to keep her moans low and keep herself from being too loud, but she was having a hard time with it. Why did he have to be so good at this?

She knew he was finally close because he began thrusting into her at a pace she couldn't hope to keep up with. He continued until he slammed into her one last time, breathing heavily and dropping his head onto her shoulder. She gasped and finally relaxed her hands, passing a healing glow over his neck where her teeth had left clear marks.

He moved away from her and let himself slide out, grabbing the body wash. She watched him clean her body and watched him clean himself, her mind a little too fuzzy to help him or do it herself. She did manage to grab the shampoo and do it herself, however, the same with the conditioner. Itachi kissed her again before turning off the shower and climbing out. She followed him, no longer shy of her body, and he threw a towel to her, wrapping one around himself as well.

"I didn't think you'd say yes," Sakura laughed breathlessly, wrapping her hair in a towel. Itachi smirked at her and pulled her against his body again, kissing her once more. She didn't mind it too much, more than happy to kiss him and feel his body against hers again.

"Why wouldn't I say yes?" he asked when he pulled away. He slid her towel open and dragged his fingertips over her skin, causing her to shiver. "I missed seeing and feeling your body," he murmured into her ear, his hand drifting higher and higher. She grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her body. They didn't have time to do this again. They had perhaps twenty minutes to change and go to his parent's house.

"Come on, we still have to get changed and make sure the girls are ready," Sakura said, pulling away from him. She did smile at him, at least, giving him a mischievous look. He smirked again and followed her out the door. She would allow him to continue this later. She changed quickly and let her hair down, annoyed that she didn't have time to dry it. Walking around with waist length wet hair was just annoying.

"Girls!" she called when she opened the door, making sure that Itachi was also dressed before doing so. "Are you ready yet?" Sachi came running around the corner, Yuuki close behind. Their hair was still damp but their clothes were changed into something nice, probably something Yuuki picked out. Sachi wasn't very good at clothes and would often pick mismatched things to wear. Yuuki would often just pick out their outfits if they were going somewhere.

"Yes, mommy we're ready," Sachi answered her when she came to stand in front of her. "We were just playing in our room. Are we going now?" Sakura nodded.

"Get on your shoes and wait outside. We'll be there in a minute, okay?" she said, pushing them off in the right direction. She turned to see where Itachi was when she ran smack into his chest. She giggled when he wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling to the ground. "Itachi, we have to go," she laughed.

"Tell me. Will you stay yet?" he asked, brushing his lips along her neck. Sakura flushed and pushed her fingers into his hair. Did she even have a choice anymore? She didn't know. She had allowed him to touch her and had initiated kisses and sex with him. She couldn't be an asshole and leave him now, especially with how happy he seemed and how happy her girls seemed to be around him. She sighed.

"Ask me after we see your parents," she said finally. She still didn't know how his parents were going to react and if they reacted violently and decided that they could never accept her children, she was going to run. She didn't care. She wasn't going to stay if she and her children weren't wanted. Itachi could want them all he wanted, but he wasn't the only one whose opinion mattered.

"Alright, let's go then," he said, finally releasing her. He was slightly disappointed with her answer, but he had to accept it. She would do whatever she had to do. She wasn't pulling the shade over his eyes. She would tell him if she was leaving this time. If she left and he allowed himself to feel hurt, it was his own goddamn fault. He just needed to savor the fact that she was here in his arms and kissing him and having sex with him. It was more than he could ask for at this point.

The girls were waiting outside just like Sakura had told them to. "Alright, hold one of our hands and we'll go," Sakura said quickly. Sachi and Yuuki nodded, bouncing up to latch onto one of their hands. Yuuki grabbed hers and Sachi was attached to Itachi. Sakura wanted to smile. Sachi was already a daddy's girl and she had only really been around him for three weeks now. This had been the first few days they had spent as a family. Tsunade wasn't in the red now and Sakura could actually take a day off. She was enjoying it thus far, though might not by the end of this dinner.

Itachi was the one to knock on the door when they arrived. Mikoto opened the door and looked rather happy to see Itachi, but then she caught sight of Sakura and her happiness turned straight to anger and annoyance.

"Oh, I heard you were back. Have you decided to try and sink your claws into my son again? I would rather you didn't," Mikoto said without a hello. Sakura scoffed.

"You can hate me all you want, Mikoto. You can hate me until the world ends. I would rather you don't say these things when you're in the presence of my girls," Sakura said, her sharp eyes catching the older woman. She didn't pull Yuuki out from behind her, knowing the little girl would die of embarrassment, but she did gesture to Sachi, who was looking disdainfully at the older woman. Mikoto had obviously not noticed the two small humans.

"Girls?" Mikoto said with an air of wonder. Itachi raised a brow at his mother and then nudged Sachi forward, beckoning her to introduce herself. She was only too happy to do so, her eyes lighting up as she bounced up to Mikoto.

"I'm Sachi!" she called, looking up at the older woman. She definitely looked like her daddy and she liked looking at her. She was a pretty woman. Sachi just didn't like the fact that the first thing she'd said sounded really nasty. Sachi almost wished that Nana Marie were here to scold her. Nana Marie was really good at scolding people. "Yuuki is my sister. She's hiding behind mommy because she isn't very good at talking to new people."

"Oh," was all Mikoto could say. She was softening up, Itachi could tell. She could be a right nightmare if she wanted to be and now was no exception, but she couldn't help herself when she was faced with children. She was probably softening up a little bit faster than she usually would because these were her grandchildren, her first grandchildren. "I'm Mikoto."

"Well, we can't call her Nana, Yuuki," Sachi said, going to pull Yuuki from behind Sakura. Sakura didn't stop her, knowing this was how Sachi got her sister to socialize and do something more than hide. "What should we call her?" Mikoto didn't know what to say. Why couldn't they call her 'Nana' now? Itachi saw her confused look and took it upon himself to explain.

"When Sakura left the village, she settled in a port city in Tea Country. There she met an old woman named Marie that took her in and assisted with the birth and the babies afterwards. The old woman posed as her mother and so her children are used to calling her Nana. She is here if you would like to meet her sometime. She takes her role as their pseudo grandmother seriously," Itachi explained, his eyes still caught on his daughters. They seemed to be really interested in the conversation they were having about what they should call Mikoto.

"Mikoto!" Sachi said, bounding up to her. "What do you want us to call you? We could call you grandma, or nan, or gran, or—" she stopped, seemingly forgetting what other names she and Yuuki had come up with.

"You can just call me grandma," Mikoto said with a smile. "I bet your daddy knows it's almost time for dinner and that's why he brought you here now," she said, sticking her tongue out at her son. "Why don't we go inside and check on dinner?" she asked, extending her hands. Yuuki followed Sachi's example and caught her other hand, allowing her to pull them inside. Sakura and Itachi hung back on the stoop for a moment.

"She was a bit hostile in the beginning."

"She'll still be hostile later, after the girls are gone," Itachi said, not looking at her. He didn't really want to. He was a little scared to. He didn't want to see it in her eyes. He didn't want to see the look that said she was leaving and wasn't coming back.

"Well, tell her how you feel about it," Sakura said, shrugging. "There's nothing I can really do. I can apologize all I want, but that won't make her forgive me. If she knew you forgave me already, she might do it as well." Itachi could see where she was coming from, but he didn't think he had the words to say to his mother to make her attitude cool. He didn't know what he was going to say to her now with the girls watching her stir something in a pot. He liked seeing his girls with his mother, as though she was teaching them something, but he liked watching them do whatever they did anyways. He just very much liked to watch them.

"I do not think that will help, honestly," Itachi said. He sighed. "It does not matter. She loves children, even more so now because they are her grandchildren. If it were to make you feel better, you do not have to deal with her often if you do not wish to." Sakura only nodded, but she knew she would never hang back. She was far too interested in following her children wherever they went. She was so used to doing so already. She didn't want to let them out of her sight just in case someone were to take them. That mentality didn't leave her now.

"Let's go in before the girls start whining that we aren't," Sakura said nervously. Itachi pressed a hand to the middle of her back and gently pushed her forwards, letting her gain strength from his touch. She crossed the threshold and wanted to laugh the moment she did. Sasuke was standing in the entrance to the kitchen, watching his mother and her daughters with a confused look on his face. Sakura couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up her throat and Sasuke whirled around to see her.

"Sakura?" he asked incredulously. He looked between her and the little girls in the kitchen. "Are they…?" he trailed off, obviously asking whether they were hers or not.

"Those little girls are your nieces," Sakura said with a smile, walking to stand beside him and look into the kitchen too. "The one on the left of Mikoto just watching her is Yuuki. She's very quiet and a little scared of people. The one on the right of Mikoto, begging her to let her stir something, is Sachi. She's very excitable and doesn't catch onto things like Yuuki does. That's okay, though. They're very sweet. Sachi, Yuuki," Sakura raised her voice just slightly. They turned immediately and left Mikoto's side to bound up to their mother. "This is your Uncle Sasuke, girls, why don't you say hello?"

"You look a lot like daddy," Sachi said, peering up at Sasuke. "Are you a ninja too?" she asked now, her eyes wide. They hadn't trained today and maybe she could sucker Sasuke into training with her and Yuuki. It was her favorite part of the day and she loved doing it anyways.

"I am," he said suspiciously, wondering where this was going. Sakura laughed. Her daughter was so predictable.

"We didn't spar today. She asked so she could try and beg you to spar with her, even though both of you could go outside and spar with each other," Sakura laughed, only half scolding her daughters. Sachi didn't look sheepish in the least.

"Yuuki doesn't like attacking," Sachi pouted. "She likes to dodge and play chase." Sasuke raised a brow at Sakura.

"Who does that sound like I wonder?" he asked with a cynical air to his words.

"What of it, Uchiha?" Sakura spat. "Hey, girls, would you like to watch Sasuke and I spar?" she asked, a smirk shot towards Sasuke. He wanted to groan. He knew he was going to get himself caught up in this if he tried a cynical remark.

"We've never seen you fight, mommy," Yuuki was interested now and couldn't help but show it. When she really was interested, she couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut. Especially when it came to her mother she really couldn't keep her mouth shut.

"Itachi, stop your baby momma," Sasuke said, scoffing.

"Afraid to fight me, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, a lilt to her voice. "You know, I haven't actually fought anyone in six and a half years. You might actually have a chance at beating me." Sasuke shook his head. She was just baiting him. He never had a chance to beat her and he knew it. She was still just a little bit smarter than he was and he had no doubt she still knew every single fighting move and stance he had. He had no chance of winning, not even now.

"Let's go," he gave into her anyways. She wasn't going to stop anyways and he knew it. He followed her outside, his nieces hot on their heels. Itachi followed them as well, but he didn't take a spot next to the girls. He began walking deeper into the compound. "Hey, Itachi, where are you going?" he asked loudly, wondering why he would leave the three here without him. Itachi was far too worrying and possessive to do something like that.

"I'm going to get Shisui. Do you know how upset he'l be if he finds out you got to see the girls first and he wasn't even told?" Itachi asked lazily. Sasuke only scoffed and let him go, turning back to Sakura. He wasn't going to go all out in this fight. He didn't want to get the girls hurt accidently because he had misjudged something. Sakura seemed to think the same because she was laid back and comfortable in her defensive stance.

"Let's go!" Sakura said, shooting towards him. He barely had a moment to react before she was hitting him in the stomach and darting off again. He shook his head and darted after her, attempting to catch her. He was surprised when the girls jumped into the fight on his side, attempting to hit their mother. Sakura only laughed and darted around them, leading them on a chase while she tried to find a place to launch another hit from.

She bounced off a tree and got Sasuke in the stomach again, knocking her daughters off their feet; although lightly so she really didn't hurt them all that much. Itachi and Shisui had come back at some point and Shisui distracted her by saying, "I have next match!" he laughed when he realized his words had screwed up her timing by half a second and got her caught by Sasuke. She just twisted and kicked herself out of his grasp.

"Just ask Sasuke on when he wants to give up, then!" Sakura called, her laughter echoing in the outside air. Sachi and Yuuki seemed to be enjoying themselves as they tried to track their mother down along with their uncle. She kept darting around them always landing, but never taking, hits. After about ten minutes, Sasuke collapsed on the ground and glared at the still moving Sakura.

"Fine, fine, you win, Sakura!" he called. She stopped moving and laughed. "Your turn, Shisui," he said, pulling himself up. He beckoned his nieces to come with him to stand on the side with Itachi. "Your mother and Shisui get a whole lot more violent when they spar. It's better to stay out of the way, okay?" he said, though his voice was a little harder than he intended. He wasn't exactly used to talking to children. He would definitely have to work on that.

Sakura didn't try to run from Shisui. She thought she remembered his fighting style well and hoped she remembered how to move to avoid it. She remembered that it had been fun to spar with him because it had almost been a dance when they did. She didn't know how well it was going to go now, though. Her memory was a little fuzzy after all these years.

Shisui threw a hard right hook and she narrowly missed it. He tried to trip her, but she jumped at the last moment. This was what she remembered. This is how they would always start. It was time for her to try and land a kick to his gut. He danced away at the last second, narrowly dodging her punch to the abdomen next. They had this entire thing worked out and so went ham, hoping the other remembered the routine they had worked out.

"Wow, how do they do that?" Yuuki asked, eyes wide. She had never seen anything like it. She could never hope to accomplish anything like that with Sachi. They weren't too coordinated yet and couldn't hope to pull it off, but she was quite entranced with the speed and precision the two pulled it off with.

"Your mother and Shisui used to go on missions together all the time," Itachi answered, leaning down so she could hear him over the swinging fists and loud grunts of the two adults. "They used to spar together a lot and so made this routine that would give them a workout. They go faster and faster, trying to hit each other. They do it to refine their reflexes. Because they are so used to it, they are forced to move faster if the other does. If one moves slightly faster, the other will get hit. Sakura can break many bones with one hit and Shisui is not a lightweight either. They wish to keep from causing themselves bodily harm."

"That's so smart," Yuuki said, still watching them. She noticed that they had started the pattern over again, but they still moved with such beauty. She was so entranced by the way the two moved and she hoped she would remember to ask her mother later to teach her and Sachi how to do it. If they could get something like that down, their reflexes would improve dramatically. Yuuki liked that thought.

"Are you going to spar with mommy next?" Sachi asked, entranced by their movements as well. Itachi looked thoughtful for a moment, but he didn't know if Sakura would like to spar with him in all actuality. He wasn't sure if she would be too tired or not.

"I do not know. You can ask her if you'd like to see us spar, however," he said. They were excited about that and so patiently waited for Sakura to finish with Shisui before bounding up to her to ask if she would like to spar with daddy. Sakura looked just as thoughtful as Itachi did.

"We can if you're up for it, Itachi. I know you haven't done many missions lately." Itachi hadn't taken a mission in six months or so. Kakashi wouldn't allow him. He hadn't taken day off in years and Kakashi had been worried about him. He refused to assign him missions for the longest time. Itachi shrugged. Just because he hadn't been allowed to take missions for a while didn't mean his skills were rusty.

"It does not matter. I have not sparred with you in the longest time either." He knew he would be rather excited to spar with her anyways. Sakura gestured for him to join her where Shisui used to be. "They have seen your usual fighting style with Sasuke and they have seen your own training exercise with Shisui. Would you like to show them your other fighting style?"he asked. He meant her brute strength and penchant for breaking the ground.

"I think that'll be a lot of fun," Sakura smirked. "We should move to an actual training ground if we're going to do this, though. Do you really want half of the compound destroyed?" Itachi almost laughed.

"I suppose you are correct. There is a training ground that way," he pointed. He began walking, the rest of the group following. Sachi and Yuuki didn't ask where they were going and he thought it was Yuuki's influence that kept Sachi's mouth shut. Sachi was always the first one to speak up and ask where they were going or what they were doing while Yuuki just watched and waited.

Sakura and Itachi were off the moment they walked into the training ground, off to hide in the trees. If they were going to do this right, they couldn't just go straight into it in the center of the training ground right off the bat. Sachi and Yuuki waited, holding their breath. They were excited to see this. They were so impressed and couldn't wait to see how fast their father could move or how hard he could hit. They didn't count when he had sparred with them. He had obviously taken it easy, though they didn't hold it against him. They knew anyone bigger than them had to go easy.

The girls were surprised when their parents met in the middle of the field. There was a loud clang and a burst of wind from where they met. Itachi went to kick her in the neck and Sakura ducked, aiming a kick to his stomach. He fell back a couple feet, but that didn't matter. He brought himself back up and rushed her again, aiming for her stomach.

They continued trading hits back and forth, never hitting the other. Itachi had always been quick and Sakura's agility too much for him even now. She survived on her quickness. Suddenly, she was gone, a clone in her place. He looked up in the sky just in time to see her coming down on the ground, bursting it into a million fragments. He didn't have time to react and was caught offguard. He was pushed onto his stomach, his hand behind his back and her knee leaning into his lungs.

"Wow!" the girls were running towards them. Sakura smiled and pulled herself off of Itachi, opening her arms to lift them both up. Sachi was bursting with words, telling her how amazing that was and how she was so sure that daddy would have won. Yuuki was just smiling and watching Itachi pick himself up off the ground. She reached for him and was greeted with a warm smile as she was taken into his arms. He felt special that Yuuki had finally chosen him over Sakura. She obviously had a bigger soft spot for Sakura than him.

"We should go back and see if dinner's ready," Sakura said, already walking back towards the entrance. Itachi followed her, his arms tight around Yuuki. She was smiling and holding to his neck tightly. He was glad she was smiling. He was always glad when any of his girls were smiling and happy. He managed to hold her in one arm and place a hand on the middle of Sakura's back. She smiled at him when she felt his touch. She was rather happy right now but didn't know how long that would last. She didn't know if Mikoto was still upset.

They made it back to the house and, to Sakura's pleasant surprise, Mikoto was smiling and in a much better mood than before. Sakura let Sachi down, who ran up to Mikoto and told her about everything that they watched. She gushed about Sakura the most and Mikoto could only smile. Sachi and Yuuki were obviously obsessed with Sakura and liked anything and everything she did.

"That sounded fun. You know, your mom was the best kunoichi in her day. She made it to anbu the fastest and no one wanted to mess with her on the battlefield," Mikoto said, kneeling to look her granddaughter in the eye. "You have a lot to live up to, you know. I want to see you working hard to make her proud."

"We want to be just like mommy!" Sachi exclaimed, bouncing up and down. She wasn't joined by Yuuki, who was perfectly happy in Itachi's arms, but she knew what she was saying was true. Yuuki tried to mimic Sakura perfectly in her flighty fighting style and Sachi tried to mimic it in her head on fighting style. They had never seen her spar someone else, had simply found what they liked to do from watching her train the other sister.

"That's good," Mikoto smiled. She stood. "Dinner's ready, though, so why don't we go and eat?" The girls rushed after her into the dining room and sat where she gestured. Sakura and Itachi sat next to each other and so did Shisui and Sasuke. Fugaku appeared seemingly out of nowhere and didn't seem too surprised to see two small children at the table.

"I presume these children are Sachi and Yuuki?" he asked after he'd been served and was beginning to eat. He wasn't looking for an answer and everyone knew that. Sachi had even caught on to the uncomfortable atmosphere when Fugaku joined them, taking her sister's example and keeping rather silent now. Fugaku seemed rather mean and grumpy and she didn't want to do anything to upset him more.

"I'm Yuuki," the little girl said when she thought it was far too uncomfortable and far too quiet. She thought the man was waiting for some kind of affirmation from either her or her sister. Her sister didn't understand a lot of social cues and so Yuuki took it upon herself to answer when her sister didn't know how to.

"I'm Sachi," the other girl said a few moments later.

"You look like an Uchiha," Fugaku said appraisingly. He shifted his attention away from them and turned to Itachi. "Are you going to marry her this time or are you going to disappoint me again? You know the time limit is running out. I am about to make Sasuke head." Sasuke sputtered and almost choked on his food. This was obviously news to him and he hadn't heard about it until now. He wasn't about to take the title, but he was still surprised.

"That is up to Sakura, father," was all Itachi said. He really didn't have an answer for his father, not yet. He didn't even know if Sakura was going to stay or not! Sakura only flushed and looked down at her food. "She has a few demands that need to be met. So far they have been," Itachi said, watching his father like a hawk. He wasn't about to give into his father this time and make Sakura feel like she didn't have a choice again. He never wanted her to feel like that again.

"As of right now, it's looking like we're staying," Sakura said softly, her courage leaving her as she watched her meal. She had been pleasantly surprised today. Mikoto's attitude had shifted when she met her granddaughters and Sasuke didn't seem too upset to see her either. Shisui was Shisui and he was always a happy go lucky guy who didn't hold anything against anything. Itachi had already forgiven her and Sakura had yet to see Naruto, but she doubted he would be too upset with her. She thought he would be rather glad to see her. Itachi was glad to hear those words, but knew it could change on the drop of a dime. He wasn't about to take her words to heart in case she went against them later anyways.

"Shall we begin to plan a wedding again, or shall you run out on that as well?" Fugaku asked snidely, not looking at her. He didn't respect her therefore she wasn't good enough for his gaze. Sakura didn't bristle. She took his verbal abuse, knowing that she brought this on herself. Itachi, however, was a different story. He was going to become angry very quickly if his father was going to be an asshole again. Sakura sighed.

"Itachi hasn't asked whether or not I would like to marry him, therefore I would think it a waste to plan a wedding at the moment," Sakura said calmly, no longer eating. Her appetite had left her and she wasn't in the mood to eat. She kept her eyes trained on her plate, trying to make the tears go away. She didn't want to cry. The man wasn't worth it.

"I think you know you have to marry him, Sakura. There's no other choice for you now," Fugaku said, glaring at her now. How dare she think Itachi had to ask her? She had already bore him two children. There was no choice for her in this. It was either marry Itachi or disappear again, except he wasn't about to let her take her children with her.

"Father," Itachi cut in now, saving Sakura from having to defend herself. He didn't like that he was berating her and causing her distress. It was just today that he had managed to kiss her again. If he allowed this to keep up he wouldn't be able to continue what he had attempted to start after their shower earlier. He knew it sounded like he was whipped, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to go back to when Sakura wouldn't take any affection from him. "Sakura and I will marry in due time. Part of the reason she left was because everything was happening so fast. I promise you that she will marry me, but it will not happen within the next month. Please accept that she needs her own time to understand and process everything," Itachi stated calmly, watching his father. He wasn't about to give into him.

"Fugaku," Mikoto cut across whatever he was going to say next. She gave him a sharp look and he seemed to swallow whatever sharp words he'd been planning to say next.

"I will be passing the title of head down in no more than a year and a half. If you haven't married by then, realize that the title will be given to Sasuke upon his marriage." Sasuke had been dating a girl recently and it was looking quite serious. It was literally a race to see who would marry first. Sasuke didn't understand why his father did this. It wasn't like he was going to try and marry first just to get the title. He didn't want it, not in the least. He wasn't equipped to deal with it like Itachi was.

"That is alright, father. Would you like to talk to your granddaughters now or are you going to ignore them the entire dinner?" Itachi asked with a raised brow. That got the smallest smile out of Sakura and he smirked back at her. He enjoyed that he could make her laugh with his snide comments directed at his father.

"What have you been studying?" Fugaku asked turning to the little girls. Sachi entered into an excited description on what Sakura had taught them throughout the years and how she had started training them when they were about four in the way of the ninja. She talked about how they were so very good at chakra control and how their favorite thing to do was using weapons, but Sakura wouldn't let them do it a lot because it was more important on channeling chakra and how to use taijutsu first. She talked and talked for about twenty minutes, taking up the rest of dinner time. Sakura was glad her children could talk about anything for hours and distract people she wasn't interested in interacting with herself.

"Aright, we should get home and get into bed," Sakura said, standing. She didn't want to be around Fugaku anymore. She could deal with Mikoto, especially because she was quite nice when she wanted to be. She could understand that she was pretty hostile because of what happened, but the woman had softened up anyways.

"That's true, we should go," Itachi said, standing as well. Sakura gathered her two children and managed to get her goodbyes out quickly before stepping out into the darkness of night. Sachi and Yuuki ran ahead of their parents, knowing the way at this point. Sakura sighed and leaned into Itachi's side, smiling when she felt his arm wrap around her.

"You know, nothing will really change if we get married in a month," Itachi said thoughtfully as they walked, happy enough to be silent beside her. He wanted to try and nudge her towards it, but not because of his father. He had always wanted to marry her and that feeling hadn't gone away in the six years since.

"It'll look odd," Sakura said softly. That had been one of the reasons she'd left in the first place. It looked odd and people would talk about it.

"Sakura, stop thinking about what people will think and say," he said abruptly. "It doesn't matter what they say. It doesn't matter that it looks odd. I have been waiting for you to come back for six and a half years. I have been waiting to see my daughters for just as long. I wanted this family and I thought you didn't. I just want to marry you. Sakura was blushing as he said this, watching the ground and only too aware of his hand on her back.

"Do you really want to marry me or is it because I'm the mother of your children?" she asked, looking up at him. She needed to know.

"I wanted to marry you even before you were the mother of my children, in case you have forgotten," Itachi said, giving her a skeptic look. Sakura flushed. She had obviously forgotten that. She sighed. She couldn't really say no to him, but she really wanted him to ask her. She didn't want him to just say 'hey we're getting married, okay?'

"I still want you to ask me," Sakura said softly. Itachi chuckled.

"Is that what this is about? You really just want me to take a knee and ask you to marry me?" he asked, pulling her against his side for a moment. She giggled and he thought her in a slightly better mood.

"Yes! Every girl wants that!" she laughed. Their house was coming into view. She was ready to crawl into bed. "By the way, Itachi, we have to get a bigger house and give them real rooms," she sighed. She couldn't continue making them sleep in the same bed and share the same room. The room wasn't even very big.

"Why a different house?"

"Well, if you're anything like I remember, I'll be pregnant within a month," she laughed, opening the door for the kids. They ran towards the bathroom, knowing it was time to wash up and go to bed. Sakura stayed in the living room. She was going to have to go in and say goodnight to them anyways, it wasn't in her best interest to go anywhere else at the moment. "We need a bigger house so we'll have room for Marie and a nursery."

"Does that mean you're planning on staying?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his body. Sakura flushed.

"It means you should really get to practicing that proposal," Sakura giggled. Itachi shook his head and smirked at her. He was about to kiss her when Sachi interrupted them.

"Mommy, daddy, we're ready for bed!" they called. Sakura smiled up at him and pulled away, leading him to the girls' room. They said goodnight and read a book. Sakura made sure they were tucked in before shutting off the light and closing the door. Sakura locked the front door before she followed Itachi to their room.

"They're very sweet," Itachi said as he laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I very much enjoy being around them."

"You haven't taken a mission since we got here," Sakura noted as she changed. She flopped on the bed next to him, completely tired from everything that had happened that afternoon. Itachi only shrugged at her words and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her on top of him. She smiled and rubbed her cheek on his chest.

"I have not needed to take one," he said, choosing not to tell her that Kakashi had forbidden him from taking missions. That had been lifted two months ago, but he had yet to care about a mission. He had a lot of savings and didn't need more at the moment. "I have also enjoyed spending my days with my family."

"Aw, Itachi, that's sweet," Sakura smiled. She curled her body into his, finding the perfect place to fit herself. He tightened his arm around her and shut his eyes. He was comfortable here with her next to him. He didn't want this to end. He knew he could get her to stay now, she said it herself, and that's all he wanted. He didn't want her to leave. If he had to make or buy her a new house, he would. He would do anything at this point because he finally had his family back and that's all he'd wanted for the past six years.

"Sakura?" he asked, watching the ceiling and feeling her chest rise and fall. He liked feeling her weight on his chest and liked seeing her sleepy, hazy eyes watching him.

"Hm?"

"Do you love me?" he asked, not daring to look at her. He didn't want to see the rejection in her eyes if she were to say no. He wondered if she had felt this way when she'd asked this question all those years ago. He wondered if she would actually say yes. She was too quiet. He didn't ask again. He didn't demand an answer. He knew she would answer when she was ready.

"I mean, I guess I do," she said with a blush. "I mean, do I really have a choice?"

"Of course you do," Itachi said quietly. "You don't have to marry me if you do not wish to. You do not have to force yourself to love me. You don't have to keep our children here if you don't want to stay. I will not stop you from leaving and I will not stop you from taking them away. I will follow you to the ends of the earth just so I am not afraid I will never see them again, but I will never force you to stay."

"I do love you," she laughed. "You just said everything I love about you," she rested her chin on his chest and watched him with her huge eyes. "You didn't mean to make me feel trapped, did you?" she asked.

"Of course not. I suppose I had been blinded by the happiness. I was so very happy that you were carrying our twins and that we were getting married. I suppose I had been blind to everything else." Sakura flushed.

"I was blinded by fear and just ran. We were kind of young and stupid, huh?" she giggled and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Everyone is when we are that young," Itachi said with a smile. He sighed. "We have to sleep. Our children are going to wake us up at the break of dawn and you know it." Sakura giggled and sighed herself.

"I guess you're right." She reached over to turn off the lamp on the table. She smiled at the picture he'd put there. "I'm happy you liked the pictures, at least."

"I was glad to see my children," he said, turning on his side and pulling her back to meet his chest. She curled up in a tight ball and he mimicked her actions. He enjoyed holding her like this. He loved it so much that it was primarily the reason that he didn't want to let go when she woke up. "Goodnight, Sakura," he said, pressing a kiss to her neck. He felt the heat of her flush next to his cheek.

"Night, 'Tachi," she murmured, a smile on her face. Yes, they were definitely young and dumb all those years ago, but they weren't anymore. Sakura was quite happy that they were coming to understand each other a little bit more. She never thought she would be here again. She never thought she'd be in his arms again and she wouldn't be in his bed, in his house, with her daughters in the other room. It was so nice to be here again. The smile didn't leave her face even as she fell asleep.

* * *

 **I can play league without feeling guilty now, right?**

 **Kit kat sits on my lap while I play league. What a fun, sexy time for you.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I have been saying 'Fuck off mate' way too much lately. People be like 'the fuck Jill. Shut your whore mouth.'**

 **And then I'm like nahhh son.**

 **I'm not sure which catchphrase is more annoying to other people honestly.**

* * *

"How were they, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she stood on the stoop of his house. He had married Hinata a few years back and had moved with Hinata to the edge of the village. Sakura thought it was pretty far from the Hyuuga compound.

"They were fine. They were really happy when Hinata asked them to help with the baby," Naruto said with a smile. Yuuki and Sachi were standing in front of him, smiling and looking perfectly fine. "You know, you raised them really well, Sak. They listen so well and don't do anything they aren't supposed to."

"That's because they're afraid of a scolding from Nana Marie, aren't they," Sakura asked, a lilt to her voice. Yuuki flushed and Sachi just mumbled and looked away. She knew Sakura knew they were afraid of Nana Marie's scolding, but they were also afraid of Sakura's scolding. She was scary when she was angry and they had learned a long time ago that it was better not to make mommy angry. She was perfectly nice if you were being good, like Nana Marie, and the girls wanted to keep it that way.

"Yeah, could you bring Nana Marie here? Our two year old is a handful," Naruto laughed.

"Toddlers are always handfuls, except for Yuuki. Yuuki was a perfect baby. We had issues with Sachi." Yuuki flushed at the praise and Sachi just scoffed. "Oh hush, Sachi. We're keeping your father waiting. We should go." She leaned forwards and gave Naruto a big hug. "Thanks for watching them today. I don't know what Itachi was doing, but I was with Tsunade all day.

"How is she doing?" Naruto asked. Tsunade had been sick for about three months now. Sakura had come back two months ago and she and Naruto had fallen back into their easy friendship again.

"She's getting better. Now that she can actually eat and have a couple drinks a day she's definitely happier, but she's not a hundred percent yet. She isn't planning on taking over the Hokage position either, so you might be getting that promotion pretty soon," Sakura winked at Naruto. Naruto's smile grew tenfold, but he knew better than to celebrate. The baby was sleeping and Hinata wouldn't be happy if he woke her up.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow for our spar," Sakura said as she turned around, raising her hand in farewell. She heard Naruto say goodbye and the door closed. Sakura grabbed her daughters' hands and led them back through Konoha. Sachi was bouncing along and going on and on about what they had done at Uncle Naruto's that day and Sakura didn't mind listening to the endless chatter. It was nice, in a way. She liked not having to find something to talk about when Sachi was around.

"Momma?" Yuuki asked suddenly, looking up at her. "Who's Tsunade? I hear you talk about her with other grown-ups, but we've never seen her." Of course Yuuki was interested about Tsunade. Yuuki was interested about things that Sakura talked about a lot.

"Tsunade is my teacher. She taught me how to heal and how to fight with my fists. She taught me how to summon Katsuya and use her to heal," Sakura explained as they walked along. "She got very sick a few months ago and my old teacher, Kakashi, sent out a lot of people to come and find me so I could heal her. Would you like to visit her sometime?" she asked. Yuuki liked to meet new people even though she was more than slightly socially inept. Yuuki seemed to think for a moment before shaking her head.

"I want to wait until she's all better," she said, tightening her hold on Sakura's hand. Sakura smiled at her daughter. She was so thoughtful.

"Remember, you two. Next week we have to go to the academy and you have to show the teachers what you can do. They need to see you give it your all so they place you in the correct class okay?" Sakura had been reminding her daughters of this every couple of days. She knew their skills far outshone all of the other children because she had been training them since they were young. Many of the children that wanted to be shinobi didn't start training until they entered the academy, like herself.

"We'll blow them away with how good we are!" Sachi shouted, jumping up in the air. "We had the best teacher, mommy; they'll see that we're too good to be put in with the new class!" She smiled up at Sakura.

"Do your best, Sachi. Yuuki, you have to remember not to feel so shy. I know it'll be hard, but pretend you're Sachi if it's too hard, okay?" Sakura often gave her daughter this advice and it usually worked very well. When Yuuki was too scared to do things, she had confided in her mother that she would pretend she was her sister and it gave her the courage to do those things. Sakura didn't quite understand it, but if it worked for her it worked for her and that was all that mattered.

The gates of the compound were coming into view and Sakura released her daughters' hands. "Go ahead, run on home girls," she said. They took off at her words and she just laughed. They took any opportunity they could to run around and play. It was quite funny. She followed at a much slower pace and they kept racing back to her, attempting to make her move faster. She didn't give into them and so they wasted a whole lot of energy racing back and forth, between her and their home.

Sakura went to unlock the door, but it opened before she could. She shook her head and smiled at Itachi, waiting for him to move to the side.

"Did you say anything to mommy, girls?" he asked first, raising a brow at them, daring them to lie to him. They sported huge grins while they shook their heads.

"You made us promise, daddy! We don't break promises!" Sakura was suspicious and curious now. She leaned back and crossed her arms, fixing Itachi with a skeptical look.

"What are you hiding, Uchiha?" she asked, eyes narrowed. Itachi only shook his head. He stepped to the side and the girls raced past him. They went straight to their room which Sakura thought was quite curious. Itachi closed the door behind them and he gestured back to the path.

"Do you fancy a walk?" he asked. "I asked Naruto to give them dinner," he was trying to reassure her and make sure she knew their children were taken care of. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him again, but allowed him to take her hand. She walked with him for several long minutes, wondering where they were going. She didn't know where he was dragging her and part of her didn't want to know. She didn't really care, however. She allowed him to guide her to god knows where.

He brought her to the other side of the compound and through a gate in a hedge. She followed him, confused. "Here," he stopped and she found herself looking at an empty training field. She looked at him quizzically, hoping he would answer her unasked question. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. "This is one of the older training grounds. It is where I will be building the house you asked for." Sakura flushed and looked up at him.

"You don't have to build a house, you know. We could just get a different one in the compound." He was going all out for her, she understood that, but she could still say no and attempt to convince him to just take a house somewhere else in the compound. She didn't understand why he was going this far for her. She wasn't anything special and she had already decided to stay with him.

"I'm going to build a house for you," Itachi said softly, pulling her closer. "Part of the reason is so I may still be secluded in the compound. Any house that I choose within the compound that has more rooms are more in the center and therefore there are more people. That isn't exactly something I approve of." Sakura laughed. She thought it was quite funny that he really didn't like people all too much.

"Alright, I really can't convince you otherwise, huh?" she smiled and pressed a kissed to his lips. He smirked against her kiss.

"Of course you cannot. Don't worry, my father approves of us using this training ground. It is rarely used. There are nicer, larger ones nearer to the other side of the compound." Sakura nodded, not really needing an explanation but enjoying it nonetheless.

"How many rooms?" she asked.

"How many children?" he retorted. She flushed.

"How many do you want?" she asked, looking at his chest. She didn't know how they were having this conversation now. They definitely should have had this conversation a long time ago. She thought it very overdue but enjoyed that they were having it anyways.

"How many are you willing to have for me?" he asked, a small smile on his face. He loved seeing her pregnant and couldn't wait for her to be pregnant again. He missed her late pregnancy the first time and wished she had some photos from that time. He wanted to see her that way as many times as he could, but he didn't want to push her into it if she didn't want to have that many children. Sakura flushed and thought for a moment.

"Let's find out," she giggled. She didn't know how many she wanted anymore. She didn't care. She wanted to be with him forever at this point. Sachi and Yuuki made the perfect little family for them, but she was starting to embrace wanting a large family. She wouldn't stop if he didn't want to.

"That sounds like a good answer, but that doesn't answer the room question," he said snidely, wrapping his arms tightly around her, trying to imagine her with a stomach. She flushed and giggled, looking like she was thinking again.

"I don't know. Should we start with five? We could always add on if we have more," she laughed. "And I don't think the girls will have an issue sharing a room."

"Why are they so attached to each other? They don't seem to want to do anything if the other isn't going," Itachi said, wondering now. He had noticed this behavior a while ago, just hadn't gotten around to asking about it. Sakura shrugged.

"That's how they've been, even as babies. They wouldn't want to go anywhere without the other and that's just how it's always been. I guess it's good. Yuuki makes Sachi think a little more about her actions and what comes out of her mouth. Sachi makes Yuuki a little more courageous, which is good for her."

"I can see it." Itachi looked around the old training ground a last time. "We should be getting back. I finished our dinner just as you got home. I do not wish it to be too cold." Sakura nodded and let him guide her back to the house in the gathering darkness. She couldn't wait to see the house he was going to build and she knew it was going to be slightly difficult to wait for it. It had been difficult for her to wait for her house in Tea Country to be built.

"What did you make for dinner?" Sakura asked as they walked up to the porch. Itachi didn't say anything, merely opened the door. She could find out for herself. It was her favorite meal again, but he didn't mind it, not tonight. He wanted to make it a night she would remember and that was why he took her to see where their new home would be.

Sakura walked to the dining room and smiled up at him. He had already filled a glass of wine for her and it sat at her usual place at the table. The room was lit in candlelight and her plate was already filled for her. She sat and waited for Itachi to do so as well. She was feeling pretty special tonight and she wondered what had gotten into Itachi for this to happen.

"Why the special treatment?" she asked with a little giggle, already digging into her food. She was so hungry and it was so good, like it always was. She was always so happy to have Itachi's food. Itachi smiled as he watched her eat everything so heartily.

"Perhaps I just wish to show you that I love you," he said warmly, beginning to eat his own food. He watched her with warm eyes, quite happy to see her enjoying her meal. It wasn't very often that they got to eat alone together; usually the girls were with them. It wasn't a problem, not really, but it was nice when it was just the two of them.

"You show me that every day." She was very suspicious, but she didn't know what to think She didn't know if something was going to happen or something. She really wasn't sure at this point. Itachi watched her curiously, wondering if she had figured it out or hadn't thought of it yet. He didn't know what she was thinking, but she was definitely thinking hard. It was interesting to say the least.

"Perhaps I thought it would be a good idea to show you more," he answered. Sakura flushed. This was definitely annoying, but she just had to stop thinking so hard about it. She had to just enjoy dinner and get over her suspicion at this point. She really was enjoying dinner. Itachi was such a great cook, especially with the chicken parmesan. He didn't make it very often so she was even more suspicious. She only sighed and tried to shove it out of her mind.

Itachi pulled her empty plate from her when she was done. "Stay here," he said as he walked away. Arching her brow, she picked up her wine and took another sip. She was wondering what the hell was going on. It was answered when Itachi came back with a plate of her favorite cake from her favorite bakery. She smiled a glowing smile when she saw it and waited impatiently for him to sit down so she wasn't being rude.

"Now I'm really suspicious that you have something going on in your head," Sakura said, narrowing her eyes at him as she took a bite of her cake. He only smirked at her and did the same. He didn't care. He was glad that she was enjoying everything. She didn't eat it quickly; she liked to savor things like this. Things that she didn't get to eat a lot. He followed her pace, not wanting to finish before her.

"Are you ready?" he asked, smirking again. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him and leaned her chin in her hand, wondering what he was asking about. She knew she'd been right to feel suspicious about everything that was going on tonight and she was feeling rather proud of herself despite the fact that she hadn't figure out what was going on just yet.

"Ready for what?" she asked, wondering what he had up his sleeve. "Was I right to be suspicious?"

"Well, you wanted me to do this right, Sakura," he said, almost chiding her. Realization dawned over her face and she flushed, standing abruptly in her surprise. He chuckled and walked to her, brushing his fingers over her hand. She flushed and almost wanted to pull away. He wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her into the living room.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, a soft giggle bubbling up her throat.

"You know what," he said quietly. He sighed. He didn't want to do this, he was about to feel really damn stupid, but he really wanted to do this right and if that was by making himself feel like a huge idiot, then so be it. He slowly knelt on his knee and Sakura's face tinted a bright red, her hand over her mouth. She didn't expect this, not right now, but she was drowning on the inside. "You know I am a man of few words, so I ask that I may be blunt."

"Of course," she giggled, her blush brightening. It meant everything that he was on his knee at the moment. She had never thought he would actually do this. She was so very surprised that he had even gotten on one knee. She thought his pride would have gotten in the way of this.

"Marry me, Sakura. Stay with me forever," he stated, staring up at her. She smiled and couldn't help but to catapult herself into his arms, ruining the perfect moment that they had. She didn't care, she was just too happy that he was actually asking her. She couldn't quite believe that he had actually gone through with it. It was so sweet and so thoughtful and she just couldn't do anything but attack him in the hug. "Is that a yes?" he couldn't help but chuckle. She nodded, unable to talk through her smile. She was smiling way too much for this. "Then here," he pulled himself up and carefully pried her arms from around his neck. He pulled out a small box from his pocket and shoved it into her hands, beckoning for her to open it herself.

"Oh, wow, it's so pretty," she gushed, staring at it. He shook his head. Of course she was too interested in staring at it for the next twenty minutes instead of putting it on. He plucked the box from her fingers and took it upon himself to put it on her ring finger for her. She flushed again and stared at it again.

"I did not get you a ring before. I thought you would like one now," he said, brushing his fingers along her cheek. She smiled and closed her eyes, leaning her cheek into his hand. "I hope you will not be against having our wedding soon."

"Why soon?" she asked with a pout.

"You are not back on birth control are you?" he asked with a mischievous smirk. She slowly shook her head, eyes confused. They had only had sex the one time before they'd gone to Mikoto's house with their daughters. That did not result in a pregnancy, though, she would have known at this point. "We should have our wedding soon because I am sure to have you pregnant by tomorrow morning," he smirked and brushed his lips over hers. She didn't react for a long moment, her blush hot against his skin.

"Why do you want to get started on that big family so soon?" she asked when he pulled away. He tugged her more securely in her lap, knowing she could feel the growing bulge in his pants. She couldn't help the soft, short whine that came from her. He smirked and pulled her hair away from her neck, burying his lips there. She tensed and wrapped her fingers in his shirt, clenching his collar tightly.

"I have lost six years of making a family with you," he murmured against her skin. "I have lost six years of watching your belly grow and knowing it is my child in your womb," he brushed his lips over a sweet spot and she whined, her hands creeping up his neck now. "Is it really too much to ask that I stop losing time and begin enjoying it with you?" he asked, finally kissing her. His words definitely had an effect on her. She reacted immediately to his kiss, pulling him harshly against her and pushing her tongue into his mouth with little hesitation. She really liked when he kissed her and what he was saying was really helping his case.

"You win, 'Tachi," she whispered, letting him take over at this point. He was quite surprised that she had given in so easy, but he wasn't about to waste time. He stood up, bringing her with him, and all but ran to their bedroom, locking the door behind them.

Dd

Sakura woke in the morning, feeling deliciously sore. She didn't try to move, knowing that Itachi had his arms wrapped tightly around her. His face was planted in her neck and he was breathing deeply. She was quite sure he was still asleep and so she resigned herself to thinking about last night. He had insisted on so many rounds and she was quite sure she wasn't walking for a week. She was quite sure her throat was sore as anything as well. Not from screaming her lungs out, but from trying to keep it in as best she could. She didn't want her kids to ask anything about what was happening the night before.

"I didn't think you were awake," she said softly when she felt him move behind her. She was only answered with a soft grunt and his hands began moving over her body, rubbing in several places. She didn't think much of it as he focused on her stomach. She shifted slightly in an attempt to face him, but he refused to let her. His hand began drifting lower. "'Tachi, I'm so sore."

"And?" he asked near her ear. She flushed, squirming. "You know that only excites me," he said in her ear. She flushed a darker shade of red and stopped struggling, but he didn't stop. She let out a soft whine when his fingers made contact with her sex, doing just the right thing to cause her to go crazy. She sighed; Itachi just knew her body way too well.

His lips latched onto her neck as he began slowly fingering her, willing for her to get a little wetter, to get a little more aroused, or he would walk away. He didn't want to hurt Sakura by plunging into her when she wasn't ready to receive him. It seemed to work because she let out a soft moan and was responding well to his fingering. His other hand was splayed across her stomach, holding her tightly to his body and letting her feel his growing erection.

"Alright, 'Tachi, you know that I'll let you get away with murder now, will you just get on with it?" she groaned, trying to twist and kiss him. He smirked. She was flustered now. She would often tell him that he was a tease and how she just wanted him to fuck her at a specific point when she got flustered. He pulled his hand away from her sex and rolled over her, smirking as he leaned down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her tongue along his bottom lip, glad that he opened his mouth with little hesitation and allowed her entrance. He was pulling her legs up, pushing one over her shoulder and holding the other off to the side. She dropped her head back to the pillow. This was going to be very hard to keep quiet.

He slowly pushed into her, savoring the way her muscles gripped him, slowly pushing deeper and deeper until he was buried to the hilt. Sakura continued letting out soft whimpers the entire time he was pushing into her and he thought it sounded like music to him. He loved all her soft little noises and the way she moaned and held him so tightly while he pushed into her again and again.

His pace was slow and touched deep inside her. She couldn't contain herself and held him tightly to her, making it hard to thrust into her, but he didn't mind. He loved the way she held him so tightly and he loved the way she bit into his neck to try and muffle her moans, the moans that he certainly loved hearing so close in his ear.

"Fuck, Sakura," he said gruffly, pushing her legs back even more. If she wasn't sore before, she definitely was going to be after this. He bet she was going to have a little trouble walking. His control was beginning to slip with every moan that she emitted. It was so close to his ear and she held him so tightly. He thought it so very sexy and his control was slipping so quickly.

He reached his breaking point not even a minute later and leaned away from her, rutting into her wildly. She clamped her hands over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut tightly in an attempt to keep her voice down. He wished he could whisper in her ear and tell her to scream, but they weren't alone in the house. He wanted to tell her to scream. He wanted to tell her to let loose, but he didn't want to explain the birds and the bees to two small girls today. And so he merely watched her face as it contorted in pleasure. He lost it when her muscles finally contracted around him and he thrust once, twice, until he spilled his load deep inside her. He pulled out of her before falling on top of her, his head planted on her neck. He felt the familiar healing chakra enter his system as she healed the wound she'd made biting the ever loving fuck out of him.

"We need a shower," she whispered, giggling when he grunted in dissent. He would rather hold her naked body to him. "We have two small children to take care of and I have to go check on Tsunade soon," Sakura said, trying her hardest to pull Itachi off of her. He grunted again and pulled himself off of her. He watched her get out of bed and he wished he could pull her back and resume their activities. "Oh, Jesus, fuck you Itachi," she sighed when she stood. He smirked at her.

"Do you mean that or do you need a break?" he asked, arching a brow. Sakura scoffed and threw a shirt at him. He caught it easily as well as the pants she threw at him afterwards.

"You can join me in the shower if you promise not to try any of that sex shit again," she laughed. Itachi only shook his head. He was going to follow her anyways, sex or not. He just really liked having her naked body against his. He followed her into the bathroom and watched as she turned on the shower. She shivered in the cold of the bathroom. He brought her close and kissed her cheek, just happy to hug her.

"I am glad you said yes," he said, brushing his fingertips over her left hand and the ring she still had yet to take off. She seemed to remember it when he brushed it. She tugged it off her finger and put it on the sink. She didn't want to get it wet. She was very against getting anything expensive like this wet.

"Why wouldn't I say yes?" she finally asked a few seconds later.

"Perhaps you are still thinking of leaving," he said seriously. Sakura seemed to have to take a deep breath. Itachi knew she was sick of him bringing this up, but she hadn't even moved her clothes out of her duffel bag. She had a lot of patience when this came up, though. He had to give her that.

"Well, Itachi, I said yes. I want to marry you. I'm pretty sure that means I'm not leaving," Sakura said, a slight edge to her voice. Itachi couldn't help the small smile on his face as he kissed her, long, soft, and sweet. "Come on, I'm pretty sure the water's warmed up now." Itachi followed her into the shower and let her under the spray first. He liked to watch the water run through her long hair. He got the shampoo and poured a generous amount into his hand.

"Are you going to cut your hair?" he asked as he washed her hair for her, watching her close her eyes and enjoy the feeling. He could see why their daughters loved to play with her hair. It was so long and lovely. His was to his back and the girls liked to play with it as well, but he had never found as much joy in it as he did when Sakura had come back with such long hair.

"I don't think so," she smiled as he led her under the spray. "I really like it this long and if I cut it I'm afraid I'll miss it. The girls like it too. It seems you do too," she smiled again, watching him run conditioner through her hair now. He would play with her hair a lot now and was a lot more inclined to run his fingers through it absentmindedly.

"I do. I simply realized I had not asked whether you were going to cut it or not," he said, washing the conditioner out of her hair now. "I admit that I would miss it if you did cut it, but I would not be upset if you chose to do so. It is your hair. I cannot tell you what to do with your body."

"I know, but I like it," she pouted. "It's kind of like your hair. You like your hair that long, don't you? I like it, but it's your hair, so if you cut it I wouldn't be upset." Itachi nodded. He was washing his own hair now and Sakura was being nice and helping him clean his body. He quite enjoyed her small hands rubbing the soap over his body.

"Don't worry. I have not cut my hair dramatically in the past twenty years or so. I do not think it'll change." He watched her as she ran the soap over her body now. He just liked to watch her. She pulled him under the water with her and giggled when the soap from his hair and his body got all over her. She enjoyed taking showers with him, even when he did instigate sex. She really couldn't mind all that much.

Sakura was a little curious to how the girls hadn't possibly come knocking at the door yet and she got her answer when she went to put breakfast together. She looked at the clock and sighed. She was a little off schedule this morning, but that didn't matter. She would just be a little late coming home tonight and she hoped Itachi didn't mind too much.

"Girls where are you?" Sakura called as she walked out of the bedroom. She found them in the living room, sitting with Marie on the couch and watching something or other on TV. "Oh, there you are." She smiled. Marie noticed her pretty quickly.

"I thought you could use some privacy this morning and stopped them from waking you up," Marie said, not taking her eyes off the TV. She had never really watched anything in Tea Country, but there really wasn't anything that was ever on. There was usually something pretty good on here at least.

"Well, thanks," she smiled. She went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for something to make for breakfast. She decided on eggs and toast, mostly because she really didn't have time to make much else. She was joined by Itachi not much later and he smiled at her, taking the spatula from her hands and ushering her off to sit with the girls.

"Mommy!" the girls were excited to see her walking over to them and she smiled. They were very good when Marie told them not to bother her and so would be very quiet and stay away until she came over. It was a welcome behavior at least.

"How did you guys sleep?" she asked as she sat down, pulling Yuuki into her lap. Yuuki was her favorite to hold, though Sachi had chosen Itachi as her favorite so it wasn't all bad.

"We woke up a little while ago. Nana said that we had to leave you alone until you came out of your room." Sakura nodded.

"Well, thanks, Marie. That was really nice," she repeated her words from earlier. Marie only nodded. Itachi came from the kitchen and put a plate on Sakura's lap, beckoning the girls to go to the kitchen. When Itachi cooked, he would bring breakfast to Sakura and Marie, if she was up, and then bring the girls to eat in the kitchen with them.

Sakura finished her breakfast and left her plate in the sink, knowing Itachi would clean it for her. She sighed and picked up her bag. "Well, I'll be off. I'll see you tonight. Love you!" She called as she walked out the door. She was met with a chorus of 'I love you too' before shutting the door behind her. She ran off towards the hospital.

"Sakura, when can I leave this horrid room?" Tsunade was not in a good mood today. Sakura smiled and shook her head at her teacher. She didn't even get a good morning from her.

"I don't know, how about I see what's going on today?" Sakura laughed. "You were out for a long time, you know, your body had to recuperate."

"Sakura, don't give me that shit. You know I'm a doctor too, Sakura," Tsunade fixed her with an annoyed stare. "You and I both know it's because the virus might still be in my system and you don't know where to find it." Sakura only laughed and shook her head. She didn't know why Tsunade asked to leave every day if she could answer her own question, then. "You know, I feel fine."

"And you and I both know that that's not a good enough reason to let you go home yet," Sakura said, pulling out her notes and looking at them. "If you can answer your own questions about going home, Shisou, you can answer your own questions about why I can't let you go even though you feel fine," Sakura said loftily.

"You're too good for me," Tsunade rolled her eyes at her student. She should have known she couldn't get away with that. Sakura just shook her head and pulled up Tsunade's chart, comparing the new notes on it to when she'd last been here. Tsunade was definitely doing better, but Sakura wasn't sure she was completely there yet.

"You know, my daughters want to meet you," Sakura said as she looked everything over. Tsunade hadn't fainted last night, which was good. She'd been prone to fainting and seizures since she woke up and Sakura just couldn't figure out why. She had stopped trying to figure out why and started working on how to stop them.

"I would like to meet them too," Tsunade said, leaning back on her pillows. "Do they look more like you or Itachi?" she asked. She liked hearing about Sakura's daughters, but hadn't asked this yet. She mostly heard stories about how bad they were being or something cute they did. It was still welcome to hear.

"They definitely look like Itachi," Sakura laughed. "They have that whole black hair and black eyes thing going. They have some characteristics from me in their faces and the way they move and do things. They're still cute though," Sakura smiled.

"Ah." Tsunade watched her begin to examine her and she noticed the ring on Sakura's finger. "So you said yes to him? Does that mean you're staying?" Tsunade had been afraid that Sakura wasn't going to be here in the long run. She didn't worry as much as Itachi did, but she still didn't want to lose her student again, not after the last six years of inability to find her.

"I couldn't really say no to him, could I?" Sakura asked as she examined her teacher. "There really wasn't a reason to say no. I do love him, you know. We were just really young and dumb before and we both royally fucked up." Tsunade wanted to laugh. Sakura could hit the nail on the head about a lot of things that involved her and Itachi.

"How was my exam?" she asked when Sakura finished.

"There's something wrong with your kidneys," Sakura said, biting her lip. She didn't want to cause her teacher any undue worry, but something in her kidneys weren't quite right. Tsunade sighed and turned over. Sakura examined her kidneys from the new angle. She sighed. "Alright, it's nothing bad," Sakura laughed. "It's just some kidney stones. It'll be painful to pass, but I'm guessing you know how to get them through your system without too much pain."

"I get them every now and then. Are there a lot?" she asked, a little worried. The big ones were really painful and she was hoping they were on the smaller side rather than anything else.

"No, they're only a couple millimeters in length. I'll give you something if you want to make sure they don't get bigger."

"They won't. They usually don't when I get them," Tsunade shrugged. She wasn't going to enjoy this. Sakura just shrugged.

"Tell me if it hurts too much. I'll be sure to surgically remove them if it's too painful," Sakura said, patting her shoulder and reassuring her. "I don't think this has anything to do with your sickness, though." Tsunade shook her head. She didn't think so either. "Have you had any more fainting spells or seizures?" Sakura asked, looking at the chart. She hadn't had any in weeks, but that didn't matter.

"No. The medicine you mixed for me has been keeping them away," Tsunade answered. She was glad her student was so good with herbs. She was sure she would still be suffering seizures if Sakura hadn't been around. She was sure she would be on her way to death if Sakura hadn't shown up. She was so very happy when she'd woken up to see Sakura over her, the familiar worried crease in her brow.

"A few of the nurses know how to make it now too," Sakura said, checking off a few things. She had written down everything that had been worrying her about Tsunade's condition and Tsunade was currently knocking them down, one by one. "I don't know how long we should keep you on it, but the best idea is to not judge it," Sakura shrugged.

"I don't mind continuing to take it," Tsunade sighed. "I would rather not have more seizures," she laughed. Sakura just shook her head.

"Well, I guess it is time for you to go home then," Sakura laughed. Tsunade smiled and dropped her head back on the pillows. "Want me to get you some clothes from your house?" Sakura asked.

"No, I still have some here," Tsunade said. "I expect that I'll have to take it easy. I'm thinking it'll be easier if I have a couple genin doing everything for me," she gave her a mischievous look. Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course Tsunade would say that. Her favorite thing in the world was still making a genin's day annoying.

"Alright. I'll get all your paperwork set, then," Sakura smiled. She didn't really have a reason for keeping her teacher here anymore and she couldn't just keep her in the hospital because she was scared. If there was anything wrong, Tsunade would come looking for her and make her check everything and make sure she wasn't dying.

"Ah, I'm so glad to be leaving this place," Tsunade sighed and leaned back on her pillows. She didn't know what she was going to be doing with her time now, though. She knew she wasn't going back to being the Hokage. She was pretty sure the job was the reason she'd gotten sick anyways. She figured she would get just sit around until she got too bored to function and then she would find something else to do with her time. She wasn't sure what that something else was, but she'd figure it out eventually.

"Here," Sakura placed the paperwork on her lap. "You just have to sign the last page." Sakura didn't give her usual spiel of how to stay healthy and how to call her if there was anything wrong. Tsunade didn't need reminding. Tsunade just scribbled her name and shoved the paperwork back at Sakura, who just shook her head and took it. While she was in her office tucking it away, Tsunade finally got up from her bed and began changing. She hadn't been out of the bed much longer than the time it took to use the bathroom.

She was standing and just shoving her shoes on when Sakura came back. "All good." Sakura checked her watch. It was only one in the afternoon. She would usually sit and talk with Tsunade until it was time for her to be off. Tsunade didn't have a lot of people to talk to and so she wouldn't have an issue sitting with her for a long time.

"Are you going to take over the hospital again?" Tsunade asked as Sakura went through the final check-up, as was hospital procedure. She had heard that Sakura wasn't really doing much outside of tending to Tsunade and her family.

"I don't know," Sakura sighed. "I mean, I know Itachi's going to take over being head of the family pretty soon, which means I'm going to be busy with our kids."

"You don't have to give up what you love just because you have kids, Sakura," Tsunade said with a sharp look. Sakura just shook her head, a smile on her face. She was so entertained by this conversation.

"I don't think you understand," she giggled. "I'm pretty sure I'm already pregnant again and will be spending most of my time pregnant," she laughed again. "Itachi wants a big family for whatever reason and I really don't mind having one either. I don't think that's very conducive to working here, not with the long hours and physical strain. There's also the issue of my chakra. Last time I was pregnant, it took a lot just to make sure my chakra was focused correctly. It'll take a lot more this time."

"Or you could just work from your office you know," Tsunade laughed. "I'll do the healing and you do the paperwork. You know how I hate the paperwork." Sakura wanted to laugh. It was no secret that Tsunade thought paperwork was the bane of her existence. Sakura didn't really think about it, she just nodded.

"Sounds like a good idea. Has the hospital been suffering while I've been away?" she asked, wondering. Tsunade just shrugged.

"It hasn't been the best, but it hasn't been the worst either," Tsunade sighed. "It's definitely been going downhill within the last two years or so, but that doesn't matter. You're back and you can fix it up. I'll be here to be half of that fix-it team," she laughed. Sakura just shook her head again.

"Alright. How about you just take it easy for a couple days at least?" Sakura laughed. "I don't really approve of you going back to work the day after you got out of the hospital."

"I'll wait," Tsunade sighed. "I have things to do with those daughters of yours, anyways," she laughed. Sakura sighed.

"Please don't tell me you're going to teach them how to murder the scenery," she sighed. "They're so rambunctious already; I don't need my house to be a warzone at the moment. They really like to demonstrate what they've learned."

"I don't have to teach them ninja techniques yet, you know," Tsunade laughed. "You're getting married soon. I can help with that," she winked. She quite liked to make Sakura's life a living hell, apparently. "I can always help with training and teaching them something if you'd like."

"We're enrolling them in the academy. Next week they have to show Iruka what they know," she sighed. "They're too smart for their own good. They learn new techniques so quickly and they already like to spar with weapons. They're going to make good kunoichi one day."

"Of that I have no doubt. You were teaching them," Tsunade said, smiling at her. Sakura just shrugged. She didn't have much to say in that regard, not really. She just knew her daughters were going to work hard in school, like they always were. Sakura sighed. They'd been sitting here and talking for a better part of an hour.

"My girls will be happy that I'm home early today," Sakura said, standing by the door, wanting to leave at this point. She was hoping Tsunade didn't have a problem with her wanting to go home. "If you want, I'll bring you something for dinner," she offered.

"How about I just come for dinner?" Tsunade asked, giving a short laugh. "Or I could just follow you home right now," she offered. Sakura couldn't help but laugh. It didn't even matter at this point. Tsunade could follow her home or Sakura could bring her dinner, what did it matter?

"Fine, fine. Let's just get going, I really hate being here for longer than I have to be," she laughed. She didn't like being away from her little girls more than anything. Tsunade nodded and Sakura led her out the room.

"Girls! I'm home!" Sakura called when she opened the door. She stepped to the side to allow Tsunade to enter first.

"Mommy, mommy!" they called. Tsunade had to move to the side quickly so the little girls didn't plow through her when they ran to Sakura. Sakura lifted them easily and smiled, hugging them close to her chest. She let them down when she was done and they stopped at Tsunade, looking up at her in confusion. They were obviously wondering who she was.

"This is Tsunade," Sakura said. "Remember you asked about her yesterday?" Yuuki nodded, staring up at her. She thought the woman was so very pretty and she wanted to ask her questions, but she was so very distracted with staring at her. Sakura laughed and lifted Yuuki into her arms. "Where's daddy, girls?"

"He's outside, sparring with Shisui," Sachi said, her attention finally off of Tsunade. "Nana is taking her nap and we were just about to lay down but we hear you calling us." Sakura laughed. She didn't really believe that they had been about to lay down. When they weren't being watched, they always tried to get out of their nap. When Nana left for her own nap, she didn't think they really went to sleep. She thought they had more attempted to continue to play.

"We're done with naps," Sakura suddenly decided. "You're going to the academy in the next month, that's baby stuff now." The girls were only too happy to hear this, though Yuuki was a little quiet about it. Sakura make a note to talk to her later. Yuuki liked taking a nap in the afternoon, it was Sachi that thought she was wasting good playtime just to sleep.

"Are we going to watch Itachi and Shisui then?" Tsunade asked, nodding towards the still open door. Sakura shrugged. Why not? It wasn't like she had much else to do and the girls would just try and get her to play dolls with them again. She wasn't exactly the best at playing dolls, Marie was much better at it, and so thought it would be a better idea to go outside instead.

They either hadn't started or were taking a break when the girls got out there. Shisui smiled when he saw Sakura and he bounced up to her, opening his arms in a hug. She hugged him, though was sure to wrinkle her nose when he pulled away. "You're sweaty."

"You smell like the hospital," he retorted. She only laughed.

"I thought you would be at the hospital longer," Itachi said as he walked over and planted a kiss on her cheek. "How are you, Tsunade?" he asked, directing a nod and his attention to her. Tsunade only smiled.

"A lot better than a few weeks ago," she said happily. "Saw the ring by the way, congratulations." Itachi nodded in recognition of her words, but Sakura didn't say anything. He guessed Tsunade had already said as much to her already. Sakura was leaning against his chest, her head on his shoulder, and he was completely and totally distracted by it. She had never really leaned into him subconsciously like this.

"Oh, you finally got her to say yes?" Shisui joked. He knew that Sakura was being difficult about everything and knew Itachi was worrying himself silly over everything. Looking at them now, though, Shisui thought there really wasn't anything to worry about. Sakura was leaning into his chest, watching her daughters affectionately while Itachi talked to others around them.

"She said yes the first time I asked," Itachi retorted, raising a brow at him. Shisui suddenly remember the conversation he and Sakura had had the day she'd left all those years ago. He remembered that she felt like she really hadn't had a choice. He was glad Itachi was giving her that freedom now.

"So anyways, Tsunade, what are you doing here?" Shisui asked, trying to shove off how incredibly awkward he felt now.

"I was invited over for dinner," she answered, a certain edge to her voice. "It was either I come here or she show up at my house with food. I wanted to meet the girls." Tsunade wasn't usually this giving with information and Shisui found it quite interesting. What was going on with people lately? Shisui shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Good to know. I believe I should go to the market then," Itachi said, looking around him for a moment. Shisui guessed he was counting how many people he had to feed tonight. Shisui wanted to go with him, but he didn't mind staying back with the girls if Sakura wanted to tag along instead.

"I'm going to go make myself some tea then," Sakura said, pressing herself briefly into his side before breaking away. "Would you like some, Tsunade?" she asked, gesturing for her to follow her. "I have chamomile and chai."

"Oh, you know how to break me down," Tsunade laughed. Sakura shook her head. Tsunade's favorite tea just happened to be hers as well. "I'll take some chamomile and sit with you." She wondered if the girls were going to come and Sakura seemed to remember her children the same moment Tsunade did.

"Sachi, Yuuki, who do you want to go with?" Sakura asked. Since Shisui wasn't coming with them towards the house, she assumed he was going to go with Itachi. Yuuki didn't say anything, merely ran and caught up with her mother, pushing her hand into hers. Sakura smiled sheepishly at her daughter. She should have known Yuuki would want to stay with her.

"I'll go with daddy!" Sachi called, smiling up at Itachi. Tsunade was extremely surprised when Itachi smiled back at his daughter and bent to pull her into his arms, lifting her as he stood back up. Sachi liked being all the way up here and Itachi didn't mind holding her little body. She was light as a feather to him and he liked the way she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day," Tsunade said as she and Sakura walked back to the house.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked curiously, leading her teacher to the kitchen. Yuuki hopped up on a bar stool, smiling happily when Sakura handed her a cup of juice. She then busied herself with the tea for her and Tsunade.

"I just witnessed Itachi Uchiha smile at a six year old girl and pick her up. He is probably carrying her to the market as we speak. That is seriously the most interesting and crazy thing I have ever seen the Uchiha do," Tsunade said, watching Sakura. "I can't believe you aren't floored by this, Sakura. You're marrying him."

"It's because I see him do it all the time now," Sakura laughed, setting the kettle on the stove. "It's not a huge deal when you see him do it every day." It hadn't even been surprising to her the first time she'd seen it. She thought it would happen eventually happen. Sachi and Yuuki loved to be picked up and she had never had an issue because of her monstrous strength. Itachi could easily lift both of them at the same time as well.

"That is true," Tsunade said, sitting next to Yuuki. She passed a hand through the little girl's hair. It was raven black, as her eyes were. The girls definitely had the Uchiha characteristics. Their faces were just a little more heart-shaped and their eyes a little rounder. Their faces showed the bits of Sakura that they had inherited. They were definitely cute little girls.

"She likes having her hair braided," Sakura said. She was pulling out the teabags and mugs now, trying to remember what Tsunade liked in her tea. Tsunade nodded and Yuuki gave her a glowing smile as she turned around and presented her back to her. She didn't mind Tsunade touching her hair and braiding it for her, but she liked when anyone did it really. Even Itachi was pretty good at braiding hair.

The shrill whistle of the kettle was the only thing that broke the silence a few minutes later and Sakura pulled it off the stove. The tea was in front of Tsunade a few minutes later and Sakura was sitting next to her with her own. Tsunade tied Yuuki's hair with a red ribbon that laid nearby and turned towards her tea.

"You never told me how the last few years have been," Tsunade commented. Sakura didn't talk much about the time she was away and Tsunade hadn't tried to pry. She hadn't met Marie yet, but Marie was often off talking to other old goons as Sakura would say. There hadn't been many in the village she'd lived in, as she told Tsunade, so Marie was having a field day getting to talk to so many old geezers.

"They were quiet," Sakura shrugged. Nothing really happened of note. I gave birth to this one," she gave Yuuki's head a quick pet, "and her sister. I built a new home for us and Marie. There was a herbalist shop on the first floor. I took it over when Marie couldn't make the medicines anymore. I started teaching the girls when they were three. That's really all there is to it. One day Konohomaru showed up in my shop and didn't realize it was me. That was probably the most exciting thing to happen to me in six and a half years," Sakura laughed sheepishly. Tsunade raised a brow, but didn't really say anything.

"I think Sachi got hurt," Yuuki suddenly said, a pout in her voice. Sakura looked down at Yuuki and abruptly stood. Tsunade tilted her head, wondering what was going on. Yuuki thought Sachi was hurt and Sakura immediately jumped into action? She didn't understand.

"Do you mind keeping Yuuki company?" Sakura said, almost halfway out the door anyways. Tsunade only nodded, knowing there was nothing that would stop her.

"Mommy takes my feelings about Sachi seriously," Yuuki said thoughtfully, sipping her juice. "Sometimes, Sachi gets hurt and never wants to tell mommy because she fusses, but I can always tell when she gets hurt. Mommy worries a lot about us and always has. She got real scared one day when we went too far when we were outside one day. She ran around and called and called until we came back. She fussed for hours."

"That sounds like your mother," Tsunade laughed. "Your mom worries a lot about other people, Yuuki. She worries too much, though. Remember to understand that. Watch her and realize when worrying becomes too much. She never learned that so she gets a little crazy."

"Yeah she does," Yuuki giggled. Tsunade thought the little girl's laugh was quite adorable. It sounded like little bells chiming as they blew in the wind. It was over a little sooner than she wanted, Yuuki busy with her juice again. "When I get those feelings, though, I can't keep my mouth shut," she laughed again.

"I think mom wouldn't be as happy if you did," Tsunade said, patting the little girl's head. She liked Yuuki. She hadn't really interacted with Sachi and therefore didn't know what her personality was like.

"I don't know. I hope it means we'll be put on the same team, though," she said softly. "I trained with Sachi since we were even smaller. I don't know what I'd do without her. We have things we do together that even mommy can't beat."

"Don't worry," Tsunade said, patting her back gently. "They might think of breaking you up, but they won't. If you work as well together as you say, they'll want to keep you together. Make sure you make friends, though," Tsunade smiled. "I know your sister is your best friend, but there's room for more."

"There weren't lots of kids back home," Yuuki said. She stopped for a second and shook her head. "There weren't lots of kids in our old village. We liked each other the most anyway and mommy didn't really want us out of her sight anyways," she shrugged. Tsunade could tell Yuuki kept forgetting that she wasn't going back to that little village in Tea Country, but she seemed to remember it eventually. As long as she reminded herself eventually, that's all that mattered.

"There are always a lot of kids here and your mom will get over herself soon," Tsunade smiled encouragingly at the little girl. "Your dad will make sure she lets you have some more freedom." She thought for a second. "What do you think of your dad?" she asked. She had forgotten for a moment that Yuuki had just met her father a couple months ago. She had to have some thoughts about her dad.

"I thought he was scary," Yuuki giggled. "He watched us when we got here and momma came running. Sachi saw him and asked mommy who he was. When she said he was our daddy, I was confused. Mommy had talked about daddy, but I didn't really think it was him." Yuuki had heard about her father, but she hadn't thought he could be a real person until he was in front o her. She had stared at him for so long, wondering how he had never found them before.

"Yes, your father can be quite terrifying," Tsunade laughed. "He really likes you and your mother though, don't forget that."

"I'll tell you a secret," Yuuki giggled, drinking the rest of her juice. Tsunade thought she was going to clamor up and whisper in her ear, but she didn't. She just smiled up at her. "Daddy said that he loved us. He said it when he tucked us in and thought we were sleeping, but me and Sachi heard him. We were so happy!" Yuuki giggled. Tsunade only smiled. She hadn't thought Itachi was capable of telling people that he loved them.

Before Tsunade could continue her conversation with the little girl, the door swung open. Sakura was carrying a tearstained Sachi, cooing and brushing her hair away from her face. Itachi and Shisui were right behind her, Shisui carrying a couple bags. Itachi went right to the kitchen and began to cook.

Sakura set Sachi on the counter. "Sachi jumped down from Itachi and sprained her ankle," Sakura said as she took off Sachi's shoe and rolled her sock down. "She didn't remember how to land correctly," she said, an edge to her voice in her disappointment. Sachi flushed and didn't look at her mother. Yuuki stood on top of her chair.

"That's not nice, mommy!" Yuuki said loudly, her eyebrows scrunched together. "Don't be mean! Not everyone can land the right way every time!" Sakura was surprised by Yuuki's interruption. She didn't look angry, though, and even began to laugh.

"You're right. I'm sorry sweetie," Sakura said, pressing a kiss to Sachi's forehead. She began healing her ankle. A few minutes later, she set her on the ground. "It might hurt for a little while. It'll be a little tender, but it won't hurt as much as before." Sachi nodded and bounded off with Yuuki to their room. She was upset because she knew Yuuki had told their mom that she'd hurt herself. Sakura always got upset when one of her daughters got hurt or lost. She usually fussed for hours. This was the first time she had just fixed her up and sent her on her way. It was slightly confusing, but Sachi didn't mind in the least. She didn't like it when she was fussed over.

They came back out when dinner was called and Yuuki ran straight to Sakura, asking for a hug. Sachi had made her feel bad, but she couldn't help it. She hated it when Yuuki told her about one of her feelings. Their mom didn't think anything was wrong, though. She just hugged Yuuki and pulled her up to rest on her hip, seating her at the table. Sachi followed a little more slowly, starting to feel bad that she had made Yuuki feel like she needed a hug.

Dinner was yummy, but neither of them actually knew what it was. They were just happy that they could watch Sakura smile. Mom didn't smile much when they'd been in the last village. She was always worried about something and always watched them like a hawk. She wanted them close to her all the time and rarely let them go off and play by themselves. Sometimes even Nana Marie wasn't good enough for her tastes. It was nice to see her laugh and smile and talk to other people. It was nice that they could go outside and play whenever they wanted and their daddy would take them with him when he went a lot of places. It was a really nice feeling.

Sakura went to tuck them into bed before going back to the dining room to visit with everyone. They stayed awake a little longer than they usually would have, but they were both curious and had questions in the back of their minds. They knew the other wanted to ask something and so waited for the other to speak. Yuuki chose to speak first at this point.

"Are you happy, Sachi?" Yuuki asked, staring at the ceiling. "I'm happy," her voice was small. "Mommy doesn't seem so mad anymore. She doesn't want to be around us all the time, though." Yuuki had enjoyed being around her mother so much, even when it got a little annoying with her breathing down their necks all the time.

"Yea I'm happy. Aren't you?" Sachi giggled and turned on her side to look at her twin. "It was just us, mommy, and Nana Marie for a long time. Now we have a daddy and another grandma, and an uncle, and Shisui!" They didn't know what to call Shisui and so settled for his first name. "It's a lot more fun to have more people around."

"Do you think mommy will make us go back home?" Sachi asked now. This was her question that was burning in the back of her mind.

"Mommy won't leave without daddy," Yuuki said with an air of finality. "Daddy said he loves us. That means he loves mommy too. Mommy always smiles when he's around, so she loves him too. She won't leave him."

"Don't you remember?" Sachi sounded really sad. "She already left him before."

"But that was before we were born, Sachi," Yuuki sighed, laying her hand on her twin's wrist. "Mommy's not going to take us away from daddy again. I think leaving would hurt her too." Sachi nodded, but there was still doubt in her eyes. "If you're scared, you should ask momma yourself." Sachi nodded again, accompanied with a sigh.

"Do you think mommy was going to bring us back in the beginning?" Sachi's question was confusing, but Yuuki knew what she meant. Sachi was wondering if Sakura had been intending to bring them back to that little village when they had first come here.

"I don't think so," Yuuki shrugged. "Mommy told us to bring everything important, 'member? That means she didn't want to forget anything." Yuuki's voice was laden with sleepiness and was getting slower and heavier with each word. She really was sleepy and she couldn't quite believe Sachi could stay up so late just talking. She did this a lot when something was bothering her and Yuuki didn't want to go to sleep until she was feeling better.

"I guess you're right," Sachi said, yawning. She wasn't very good at thinking things through. That's where Yuuki always came in. Yuuki was always so good at making her feel better about anything and everything. It was really nice having her around.

"It's time to sleep, Sachi," Yuuki said, yawning herself. Sachi nodded, her movements sluggish as well. She reached out her hand and Yuuki took it automatically. She held it tightly and waited until Sachi had fallen asleep, worrying that she would want to ask something else or talk more. Yuuki yawned widely when she finally realized her sister was asleep and managed to fall asleep herself a few minutes later.

* * *

 **I know the warning's late, but I'm pretty sure there's a lemon in this chapter too.  
**

 **I don't even know anymore.**

 **Loooove you!**


	15. Chapter 15

"Itachi, are you sure everything's ready?" Sakura whispered as she stood just inside the doorway. She was terrified. Sachi and Yuuki stood beside her, hanging onto her skirt. They were leeching off their mother's anxiety, knowing she was quite terrified. Itachi pushed his hand over hers and pressed his lips to the side of her head.

"There is nothing to worry about, Sakura," he said softly. "I'll be waiting for you. Walk quickly if you would like to. You'll have Marie beside you." Sakura managed a nod, then turned to her girls, disentangling their hands from her skirt. She was wearing a simple white dress this time. She was already pregnant again, hadn't told Itachi yet, and had already had her twins. She wasn't about to wear a big, poufy dress for this.

"Remember, you two," she said softly, brushing their hair out of their faces. "Your daddy and I are going away for a couple days. You're going to stay with Naruto and Hinata, yea?" They nodded, a little too afraid to talk at the moment.

"Mommy, why is this happening?" Sachi whined. She didn't like that they had to walk up the aisle either. They knew all eyes would be on them at one point and she was quite scared of it. Yuuki didn't seem too happy about it either, to be honest. Itachi wanted to laugh. They were so much like Sakura sometimes.

"Sachi," she laughed, pressing her hand to the little girl's shoulder, "We were supposed to be married over seven years ago. Now that you're here, we decided you should have a part in it. I know you would be upset if you weren't here." Sachi pouted. She knew her mother was right, but didn't want to admit it. Sakura just laughed again and patted her shoulder. She opened her arms to her daughters and they rushed into them, enjoying the hug. Sakura stood back up.

"You should get out there," she sighed. "Everyone's pretty much here." Itachi nodded. He knew she didn't want him to leave her side, but he had to go and wait for her. Marie was just coming from the kitchen, her thin frame covered in a white dress and shawl. She seemed rather elegant for her brash personality.

Sakura watched him leave and walk to stand at the front of the aisle. They didn't have an alter or anything of the like, Sakura didn't want any of that. She just wanted something simple and quick and this was the best way to do so. Itachi had completely agreed with everything she had demanded. It made it easy to have the reception afterwards.

The music started. Sakura smiled at her girls. "Time for you two to go. Remember your flowers," she said, giving them a gentle nudge out the door. Yuuki searched for her sister's hand and clenched it tightly for a moment before letting go and walking down the aisle. Sakura smiled as she watched her daughters go before looking to Marie.

"Are you ready, girl?" the old woman asked, looping her arm through Sakura's. Sakura just sighed deeply and pushed her anxieties firmly aside. Marie patted her hand before opening the door for her and pulled her through it. She knew Sakura was quite scared and didn't want all eyes on her, terrified to commit to Itachi in the first place. She had already committed to him a long time ago, though, and so couldn't back out now. She wouldn't be forgiven this time if she ran away.

Marie was beside her the entire time and Sakura was able to focus on her tight grip on her arm. She led her forwards at a steady pace and nodded towards the front when Itachi came into view. Sakura knew she held her hand out way too early, but she was way too excited to be next to him. He smiled warmly and grasped her hand, pulling her to stand next to him. He fixed her with his calm stare, silently telling her to calm down. She took a deep breath and then looked towards Tsunade, who was officiating the ceremony. Sakura was quite happy that she had these two to focus on up here, she didn't have to worry about everyone else behind them, watching.

The entire thing went way too slowly for her. She didn't like these things and didn't want to sit through her own. Itachi's hand was tight in hers, however, letting her know that there wasn't much longer to wait until they were having fun with everyone under the large tent only a hundred yards away. Sakura was quite happy about it. They shared a quick kiss and Sakura heard Itachi telling everyone that the reception was under the tent. He was leading her back to the house then to let his mother take a few pictured.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Marie said as she shepherded the twins back into the house. The girls were smiling ear to ear and ran to their mother to hug her.

"You looked so pretty, momma!" Sachi said, hugging her around the legs. Yuuki was just smiling, though she was mostly happy that the entire thing was over. She seemed to follow her parents in that regard. She didn't like anything formal.

"Well, your grandma wants to take pictures now, so you have to stay still for a little while, okay?" Sakura said, fixing their hair again. She couldn't help but fix their hair every time she was around them. It always seemed to need some fixing.

"Okay," they smiled. They liked being in their grandparents' big house and didn't mind the garden being made up so prettily for the ceremony. Though they'd been afraid to walk down the aisle, mostly just feeding off of Sakura's anxiety, they really did think it was pretty. There were over a hundred chairs all in white and there were flowers everywhere, their mother's favorite. They knew they were her favorite because Itachi brought them home quite a lot.

Mikoto had them posing basically everywhere in the house and around where the ceremony was held. Sakura thought there would be well over a hundred pictures to be developed after this. Sakura couldn't help but laugh when her daughters sagged and begged Mikoto to let them go and play with Naruto's kids.

"Sure, your parents will be there soon," Mikoto smiled. Marie took the girls to the tent. Sakura watched them go, loving that Marie was here. Her health had been declining in past months. She was definitely older than she said she was, but she still watched the girls and followed them everywhere. She was certainly loved by them. "Sakura," Mikoto said, waving her hand. "Why don't you stand up there with Itachi?" she gestured to where they had exchanged their vows. Sakura only nodded and followed Itachi closely.

Perhaps half an hour later and Mikoto was finally done with all the pictures. Sakura sighed in relief and Itachi couldn't help but chuckle. Sakura was certainly entertaining when she was completely done with something. Mikoto just rolled her eyes and gestured them to go to the tent, she was going to put the camera away. Itachi pressed a hand to the small of Sakura's back and lead her to the tent.

"The hard part is over now, huh?" Sakura asked, laughing. Itachi shook his head. Of course she thought the entire thing was hard.

"I cannot quite believe you thought that was hard," Itachi chuckled. "I thought you wouldn't have had an issue with it." He was trying to talk quickly in an attempt to get it over and done with before they got to the tent. He could see their friends beginning to put out the food, seeing that they were walking towards them.

"I don't like being noticed, okay?" she flushed. She was self conscious right now. What had been true seven years ago was true once again. She was pregnant again and going through with a wedding. The déjà vu wasn't lost on her and for a fleeting second she wished she had told Itachi prior to this day. She was saving the news until they were holed up in a hotel room about fifty miles away in a small village on the edge of fire country.

"It's alright, it's time to enjoy food," he said gently, wrapping his arm around her waist for a moment and giving her a squeeze. "It is time for me to enjoy the fact that your last name is now Uchiha." Sakura scoffed, but knew that he was quite proud of himself. He only grinned at her reaction.

Their friends cheered and raised their glasses when they got to the tent and Sakura was caught in a flush. Itachi wondered why she was so very flustered and shy today. She was acting more like a teenaged Hinata than the woman she really was. He shook his head, pushing the thought away. Perhaps something was up with her, he didn't know. He would find out eventually, though. She was often the type to tell him when she was upset eventually.

"Thanks for coming, guys," Sakura started, her voice hardly heard over the amount of people. "I know it's a little late, but I'm glad you're all here." She had a huge smile on her face. Itachi nodded along in time to her words. "Thanks for getting all the food out too," she directed to Naruto and Sasuke, who raised their hands when they were called upon.

"Why don't we eat?" Itachi cut in, thinking he should say something along with his new wife. Sakura just smiled up at him. This was still causing her to be a little anxious, but the attention on her would end quite soon. Everyone yelled in agreement and then their eyes were off of her as Itachi nudged her forwards, towards the table that was set up at the back of the tent. There was a place for the both of them and there were extra places for his parents and Marie. They had thought their twins would be far too excited to sit down, but had set up a small table for them and Naruto's kids in case they should. Hinata had said she would make sure they all were fed before they went to bed, even if they didn't eat much here.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Marie asked, her beady eyes watching her. Marie knew she was pregnant, had been the first and only person she had told so far. The old woman was just worried for her wellbeing and didn't want her to be too exhausted. She knew she had a little bit of travel between her and rest tonight.

"I'm fine, Marie," Sakura said, smiling. Itachi had her sit and then took her plate, moving towards the table that held the food. They had decided a buffet type dinner was the better choice and so he would go and stand with everyone. Sakura watched him walk off and sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Have you still not told him?" the old woman asked, a brow raised. Sakura just laughed.

"Why would I tell him before I finally married him?" she gave Marie a look. "He would have been afraid that I would take our girls and run again. I didn't think that would be a good idea. I didn't think your memory was going bad just yet, Marie. This was just like seven years ago."

"Oh, hush child. I thought your husband would be able to deal with it. It isn't like I would have let you run again," Marie took a sip of her wine. "That man is good for you. This is the happiest I've seen you in seven years, even overshadowing the day your girls were born." Sakura sighed, not knowing how to answer the old woman. "Oh, hush, you know I'm right."

"I don't see why you couldn't have this conversation with me earlier," Sakura shot at her, a mischievous grin on her face. "I know we're good for each other, silly old woman. I just didn't understand that when I ran away in the first place."

"Sometimes we don't understand things when we're young," Marie said, drinking more of her wine.

"Sometimes, things happen for a reason, Marie," Sakura said, taking a sip of water. She wished it was wine or something with alcoholic content, but she wasn't about to put her unborn child in danger. "I would have never met you if I hadn't run away. My girls wouldn't have a 'Nana Marie,' and I wouldn't have anyone to call 'mama.' Would you rather have not had that?" there was a lilt to Sakura's voice and Marie narrowed her eyes at her. She really hated when the younger woman teased her like this.

"Oh, hush your mouth you little twit," Marie said, shaking her head. "You know what I meant. I'm glad you came to find me in that little town. I was much more of a grouch all those years ago. You and your girls have softened me up." Sakura laughed. Itachi was coming back now, though, so she wasn't about to shoot anything back to the old woman.

"How was it?" Sakura asked, accepting the plate from Itachi.

"Our friends let me through quite easily. I apologize, Marie, did you need me to get you some food as well?" Itachi hadn't sat down yet and didn't want to inconvenience the old woman.

"Nah, I'm going to make sure the little rascals aren't up to something," Marie said, pulling herself up with her plate. "Anyways, I'm in white, hopefully they'll mistake me as the bride and let me through," she gave them a grin and then was hobbling off, probably intent on making the girls get food at this point as well. Sakura just laughed as she watched her walk off.

"Would you like a little wine?" Itachi asked, pulling the bottle from in front of them.

"No," Sakura said, resisting the urge to sigh. She had to remind herself that Itachi still didn't know. She hoped that this wouldn't tip him off.

"It won't hurt anything if you have a little," Itachi said, turning a knowing eye to her. Sakura narrowed her gaze at him as he gave her a half glass of wine and pushed it into her hands. "Sakura, do you think I am an idiot? You have been vomiting every morning for the past three weeks and sometimes in the afternoon as well. You have been easily fatigued and quite affectionate during those times. You surely do not expect me to remember?" Sakura flushed.

"And here I am thinking that I did such a good job at keeping you in the dark," Sakura pouted, taking a sip of the wine. It was sweet and red, her favorite. She wouldn't have any more than this, though. She would stick to water after dinner.

"You tried, but I am too smart," Itachi said with an amused glint in his eye. "Why did you not tell me, though?" he asked. That was what he couldn't figure out. He thought she would be ecstatic to tell him that she was pregnant again and that he should really hurry up on getting their new house built on the edge of the compound. He would have to make sure it was done within the next six months or so, though. The foundation was already made, half the skeleton was already built. It was coming along nicely, at least.

"I didn't want to give you any undue anxiety," Sakura sighed, shrugging. "I didn't want you to fear that I was going to run off on you again."

"I would not think that. You have stayed thus far and, in case you have forgotten, I told you that I would follow you wherever you went if just to be with our daughters," he said. He waited for her to begin eating before he began.

"Whatever, Uchiha, I was just trying to spare you feelings," Sakura said, focusing on her food instead of looking at him. "We all know how much you hate them."

"I do not hate emotions, Sakura," he said calmly, resting a hand on her back. "I do not think I would be here with you if I did." Sakura turned to him, about to shoot a snide remark back at him, but he leaned in and kissed her for a long moment, his hand tight on her back as he did so. "I understand your reasoning, Sakura. I am glad that you're pregnant again. I will be glad to show you that tonight," he whispered the last part in her ear right before he pulled away. Marie was just coming back, her plate laden with food, and he wasn't about to say something like that when someone could hear. She flushed anyways and he gave her a small mischievous smirk before pulling completely away.

"You two aren't doing anything over here, are you?" Marie asked, fixing them with her beady stare. Sakura only laughed and shook her head. Marie sat down beside her and began eating. "Your children didn't want to eat and it took a stern look and a quiet threat to make them do so." Sakura laughed. Marie never did any such thing. Sachi and Yuuki were too sick of her lectures to do anything but listen to her.

"Yeah, okay Marie," was all Sakura said. She turned back to her food. It was silent for a few minutes, Mikoto and Fugaku joining them in that time. It was silent after they joined them as well. Sakura still felt far too unconfident to say anything with Fugaku around lest she was angry. That was the only time she had enough confidence to say anything to Fugaku. He was so intimidating and had the same stony gaze as Itachi, though it was far harsher. It was enough to put most people off, including her.

Thankfully, the reception didn't really last all that long. It wasn't long before she was kissing her daughters goodbye and letting Hinata herd them off towards her house. She left with Itachi, then, going to their house and grabbing the bags they packed and changing quickly. Sakura wasn't about to go running through the woods for the next two hours or so while in a dress. She really wasn't in the mood.

"Are you ready?" Itachi asked as he was coming out of the bathroom. Sakura nodded, zipping up her duffel bag. Itachi shouldered it for her, shaking his head when she attempted to get it back. "I'll carry it for you, Sakura. I don't enjoy the prospect of you being exhausted before we get there," he gave her a smirk. She rolled her eyes.

"Do you really want sex tonight? You get sex all the time!" It was only late afternoon. They had had their wedding early so they could get to the village by nightfall. Itachi hadn't wanted to travel during the night and Sakura knew why now. He was afraid her chakra was all out of whack like it had been with her first pregnancy. He had this all planned out and Sakura hadn't even thought about it.

"I want sex all the time," he said quietly, wrapping a hand around her waist and bringing her close. "I just find you very desirable." Sakura giggled and pushed him back.

"Stop, we need to get going, Itachi!" Itachi only shook his head and offered her his hand. She readily took it and he led her from the house, towards the gates. They didn't start running until they reached the trees. Sakura thought this was nice. She hadn't been on a mission since she'd been back, but neither had Itachi.

It felt great to feel the wind whistle past her face as she shoved off strongly from each tree branch. It was nice that she wasn't under the time constraints of a mission and so it felt so very laid back and like she could enjoy herself. Itachi seemed to be feeling the same, for he had a small smile on his face as he moved beside her.

It didn't take them long to get to the small village. They left the trees a while before the village came into view, not wanting to scare anyone walking on the road. As they walked towards the village, Sakura decided to talk. "Why did you pick this village?"

"It is not too far from home so if something were to happen Naruto or Hinata could be here quickly. It is also not a ninja village, so it is generally calm. There are a few things to do here, though I am mostly planning on keeping you locked in a hotel room for most of the day and night. I like our privacy when we have it." Sakura shook her head, a smile on her face.

"Alright then, Itachi," she laughed. "What hotel are we staying in then?" they had gotten to the village by now and she was wondering where to go. There was a main road with few other roads leading off of it. It was a small village, probably a farming village first and foremost. From where she was standing, she could see a few restaurants and a spa that doubled as a haircut shop. There was a motel on this road, but she didn't think they were staying there. Itachi was usually extravagant when he did things for relaxation. There were certain perks that came with being the heir and he used it to his advantage.

"This way," he pulled her arm gently. She nodded and allowed him to pull her along, down one of the side streets. It wasn't too long before they came upon a hotel that was nestled between two houses. It was about five floors high and Sakura waited for Itachi to lead her inside. She would rather just let him take care of it.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the person behind the desk asked with a smile on his face. He was dressed quite nicely and seemed rather prim and proper. Sakura knew this wasn't like any of the regular places she would stay in on a mission. It was a bit nicer and definitely had a couple more commodities.

"I would like to get a room," Itachi said smoothly, watching the man. Sakura stood behind him, and he knew she was rather tired. She was thinking of sitting down as there were several chairs and sofas around the vestibule. She didn't want to leave Itachi, though, and so seemed to be having an internal struggle. He wanted to laugh, but it wouldn't take long to check in.

"We have several, which would suit your interest?"

"Just a single bed will be fine," he said. The man nodded and turned around, looking among the keys and picking one. He handed it to Itachi who handed him the money for the room.

"How long will you be staying?"

"Four nights." The clerk nodded and let them walk off. Sakura fell in step with Itachi once more and he led her through a few twisting hallways and up a couple flights of stairs before stopping in front of a door. He opened it and let her enter first.

"I thought you would like this hotel," Itachi said. "My father and I once stayed here on a diplomatic outing a few years ago." Sakura could only nod. The inside of the room was gorgeous. Painted in a warm cream color, the room was really a tiny apartment. She walked into a charming little sitting room and could see a small kitchenette on the other side. A small table with two chairs sat near it. She thought it was quite charming and couldn't quite believe he had chosen this. She would have been perfectly fine with a one room motel room, but he really was pulling out all the stops at this point.

"It's really nice," Sakura said, smiling. She stepped back from the doorway to let him come in as well. He went straight to the bedroom so he could put their bags down. Sakura hopped on the bed and sank into the pillows, rather happy. Itachi smiled at her and he climbed into the bed with her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her on top of him. She giggled and pressed her face into his shoulder.

"Would you like to take a shower?" he asked, nodding towards the doorway.

"Didn't you want to do something?" she asked, tilting her head.

"If I instigate something now, you aren't getting out of this bed for at least twelve hours," he said, taking the opportunity to press a kiss to her lips. "Either you take a shower now or you take one in the morning."

"Are you going to follow me in?" she asked, eyes narrowed. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"If you would like to get started in the shower, you only have to ask," he said with a smirk. Sakura scoffed and hit him on the chest.

"That wasn't what I was saying at all and you know it," she pouted. "You always follow me into the shower. That's why it makes me happy we have our own bathroom at home or else our girls would have already asked what mommy and daddy are both doing in there." Itachi could only chuckle at her and hug her to his chest. She could always make him laugh, no matter what. It was a nice feeling.

"If I always follow you in, what would change here?" he asked, raising a brow at her. She sighed. Of course he would turn this on her. He always did.

"Fine, come on," she sighed and rolled off of him. She didn't bother getting anything out of her duffel bag, knowing she would have no hope of getting on whatever clothes she chose. Itachi followed a few footsteps behind her and watched her turn on the shower. He couldn't help but to grab her around her waist and pull her against her chest, smirking at her when her eyes finally found him.

He kissed her, pushing his hands under her shirt while he did. He growled in annoyance when his fingertips hit her bindings. He had thought she was wearing a bra instead of these infuriating things.

"What, Itachi?" she asked, laughing.

"I thought you were wearing something different," he said, an irritated look in his eye. Sakura just laughed and rolled her eyes, turning around to pull her shirt off and begin getting her bindings off.

"We ran here. What do you expect?" she asked, shaking her head. "It's really uncomfortable to wear a conventional bra while I'm trying to run. These hurt me a lot less and my chest is really sensitive right now so I need it." He watched her take them off, irritation still rolling off him in waves. He wasn't irritated that she wore them; he was just irritated that they were so convoluted in removing. She always had to remove them for him and he hated the wait to get to her.

She was pushed against a wall the moment the cloth fell to the floor, her mouth busy. His fingertips were dancing over her skin and teasingly pulled at a nipple, earning him a moan. He angled her head just a little more so he could snake his tongue into her mouth and she wrapped her hands in his shirt, hanging onto him tightly.

His hands made quick work of her pants and then she was tugging his shirt over his head, thinking it was quite unfair that he was still fully clothed when she was not. He was certainly making quick work today and she wondered why.

"Why so quick?" she breathed as he tugged her harshly to his chest again and was about to kiss her. "We did this just the other night," she laughed, "I don't see the need for the desperation." Itachi only shook his head, burying his mouth in her neck.

"I cannot make you scream when our daughters are around, Sakura," he said lowly against the skin of her neck. Her breath caught as he sucked harshly on a spot just below her ear, his hands successfully supporting her as she sagged in his hold. "Therefore, I wish to make sure you're screaming every moment of the time we are away."

Sakura shook her head and pushed away from him. She rose her eyebrows at him and entered the shower. He rolled his eyes. That little minx would be the death of him, he swore it. He made quick work of his pants and climbed into the shower behind her. She was washing her body and he sighed. She was going to make him wait until they were done showering. She wouldn't get out without him taking her, but she would make him wait.

He grabbed the shampoo and began washing her hair. She leaned her head forwards to make it easier for him, seeing as it was still quite long. She still hadn't cut it, wasn't planning on it. She enjoyed when he washed her hair, though, and closed her eyes to do as such. He led her under the water when he was done. She watched him clean himself from the water, admiring his body. Though he didn't take many missions anymore, he still had the same amount of muscle as he'd had all those years ago. His hair was only slightly longer than it had been. She still loved it and liked to play with it when he lay near her. He would let her, but had never told her if he liked it or not.

She had become lost in her thoughts for she was jerked out of them when Itachi pushed her against the cool wall of the shower, urging her to lift her legs and wrap them around his waist. He supported her weight easily and began trailing his mouth from hers to her neck.

It was getting hard to think as he sent her senses into overdrive. His mouth was on her neck, attacking his favorite sweet spot, as his hand was on her breast, kneading and pulling at her nipple. She rolled her hips against his and he growled against her skin, his hand beginning to trail further down her body. He found her clit and pressed his thumb into it harshly, rubbing in slow circles. She moaned and dug her nails into his shoulders, her hips rolling fruitlessly against his.

"'Tachi, you're such a tease," she managed between her moans. He only smirked against her skin and moved to capture her lips, burying two fingers deeply inside her. Her nails dug deeper into his shoulders and she let out a long moan as he kissed her. He continued plunging his fingers into her, her moans growing in volume and frequency. "Stop teasing," she whined, leaning her head back against the wall.

"As you wish," he said, pulling his hand away from her. He grabbed her bottom to give him an easier time and plunged roughly into her. Her head fell onto his shoulder and she bit his skin, a low moan escaping her. "That isn't good enough, Sakura," he said grunting as he harshly pushed into her again. She let out a slightly louder, more high pitched whine, but he didn't think that was good enough either. He began to set a quick rhythm, the hand on her bottom aiding him in pulling her to meet his thrusts.

Her moans began to grow into shrieks and he reveled in her voice so close to his ear. He continued to piston into her, her shrieks growing evermore in volume. He moved his hand from her bottom and slid his fingertips over her leg, pressing harshly against her clit as he pushed into her. The extra stimulation he gave her threw her into sensory overload and he felt her walls tightening around him. He managed a few more thrusts before he achieved the high himself, his head falling onto Sakura's shoulder. He breathed harshly as was Sakura. He pulled out of her after a few long minutes and she held tightly to him as her feet touched the ground. The water was merely lukewarm at this point and he reached over to turn it off.

"You suck," she said, a pout obvious on her face.

"I believe that is what you do," he answered as he wrapped a towel around her. "When you're feeling nice anyways." Sakura flushed at his words and sent a glare his way. He only chuckled and pulled another towel from the rack, drying himself off. "Are you tired now?" he asked, wondering if he could pull another round out of her tonight.

"I am very tired." He sighed internally. He wouldn't get another chance to hear her screams tonight.

"Then let's get to bed," he said, pushing her gently towards the door. She went easily enough and he hoisted her into his arms when they got back to the bedroom, placing her on the bed.

"What was that for?"

"Perhaps I like carrying you like that," he said, pressing a kiss to her lips. She pulled her towel off, not needing it anymore, and he did the same, placing them on the dresser for now. He climbed in under the covers beside her and she pressed her body against his, her head firmly planted on his chest.

"Are you happy, Itachi? Now that we're married?" she asked, her bright eyes watching him. He had thought she had fallen asleep by this point, but apparently she wanted to engage in some deep conversation. He didn't mind. They usually had a nice, long talk before they went to sleep. Sometimes Sakura just wanted to get all of her thoughts out of her head before she could sleep.

"I am happy that you came home to me," he said gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I am happy that we have two healthy little girls. I am happy that you are here, in my arms, after I worked you through thoroughly," he said the last part with a smirk and kissed her forehead again. She smiled and closed her eyes for a few moments. "Why? Were you worried that I am not happy?"

"It's not that," she laughed. "We just haven't had the most conventional relationship, you know? I thought you would go through an arranged marriage while I was gone. I wasn't expecting you to be waiting for me when I came back. I didn't think I would ever go back to Konoha for that matter," she sighed. "I don't know. It just seems like I led you along for so long."

"You were young and scared." He sighed deeply. "I am sure I would have gone through with an arranged marriage eventually if my father insisted on it wholeheartedly. He was beginning to hint at it just before your return. I did not know if you would return, but I was hoping. It was the hope that made me search for you so long."

"I'm sorry," her voice was small and she hid her face in his chest, not wanting to see the look in his eyes. She didn't think she'd get an answer like that and felt a little bad. She had made him wait so long. He had searched for her for so long. He had almost stumbled upon her and she had hid from him. She hadn't been certain that he was really in love with her and she regretted her foolish thinking now, so many years later.

"Sakura," he sighed, shaking his head at her. He lifted her chin from his chest. "It does not matter now. We are married. You are pregnant with our third child. It is alright now and nothing will pull us apart again. You know now that I love you and that it will not change." Sakura smiled and nodded, reaching up to press a soft kiss to his lips. "Now go to sleep. I have a busy schedule for you to keep come morning," he said, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Sakura flushed.

"I love you too, by the way," she whispered as she laid her head back on his chest.

"I know, Sakura." He tightened his arms around her in a long hug, earning him a sleepy smile. He wasn't awake long after her. He fell asleep with her that night, though he was sure to be the first to wake in the morning.

* * *

 **It's over.**

 **A new one has been started, titled Entrance Me, Please.**

 **However, thanks for coming on the journey with me. And my cats. Fuck those douchenuggets.**


End file.
